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Tuesday at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing featuring testimony from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Sen. Kamala Harris ( ) peppered Sessions with questions repeatedly cutting him off before he could answer. Partial transcript as follows: HARRIS: To your knowledge, did you have any communication with any Russian businessmen or any Russian nationals? SESSIONS: I don’t believe I had any conversation with — HARRIS: Are you aware of — SESSIONS: I don’t believe I had any conversation with Russian businessmen or Russian nationals, although a lot of people were at the convention. It’s conceivable that — HARRIS: Sir, I have just a few — SESSIONS: Let me qualify. If I don’t qualify, you’ll accuse me of lying. I need to be correct as best I can. HARRIS: I do want you to be honest. SESSIONS: I’m not able to be rushed this fast. It makes me nervous. Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 1 |
UNITED NATIONS — hours after President Trump swatted away at a broad international consensus on how to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians, his United Nations envoy sought to assure the world on Thursday that his administration supports Palestinian statehood but wants a “thinking out of the box” approach. “We absolutely support a solution,” the American ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, said in answer to a question after a United Nations Security Council meeting devoted to the conflict. “But we are thinking out of the box as well, which is — what does it take to bring these two sides to the table, what do we need to have them agree on?” she said. She said nothing about what that approach would be, nor did she go any further in revealing a coherent picture of United States policy on the conflict, one of the most intractable in the world. The day before, Mr. Trump hinted at a new regional effort aimed at bringing the two sides together, but he said he would not insist on the creation of a Palestinian state. “I’m looking at and ” he said. “I like the one that both parties like. ” Both Ms. Haley’s and Mr. Trump’s remarks were in sharp contrast with warnings from other diplomats, including the United Nations envoy entrusted to help the two sides find a path out of their long, bitter conflict. “The solution remains the only way to achieve the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples,” the envoy, Nickolay E. Mladenov, told the Security Council earlier in the day. “Israel can take the necessary step to stop settlement expansion and construction in order to preserve this prospect, while the Palestinian leadership can demonstrate their commitment to tackling the challenges of violence and incitement on their side,” Mr. Mladenov said. Speaking in Egypt the day before, Mr. Mladenov’s boss, the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, said, “There is no Plan B to the situation between Palestinians and Israelis but a solution. ” The Swedish ambassador, Olof Skoog, told reporters on his way into the Security Council meeting on Thursday, “It’s very dangerous to move away from the solution idea, especially before you have something viable as an alternative. ” France’s ambassador, François Delattre, said the risks were too high. “Should the prospect of a solution disappear as a mirage in the desert, then that would be an open door to more extremism and more terrorism,” he said. Ms. Haley, who has been on the job for less than a month, used her remarks to the news media mostly to harshly criticize the United Nations as a whole for what she called its “ bias. ” Palestinians have accused the Trump administration of the opposite. The United States objected last Friday to the appointment of a former Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, as the secretary general’s envoy to Libya. The Palestinian ambassador, Riyad Mansour, said on Thursday that Mr. Fayyad had been rejected “simply because he was a Palestinian. ” Ms. Haley also suggested that it was unnecessary and counterproductive for the United Nations Security Council to hold monthly meetings on the conflict — or in her words, “obsess over Israel. ” In fact, the Council has three meetings on Syria every month, one on Yemen as well as regular briefings on every United Nations mission, from Afghanistan to South Sudan, plus briefings on the impact of Security Council sanctions on countries such as North Korea and Iran. | 1 |
How the #NeverTrumpers sunk themselves. November 1, 2016
Bruce Thornton is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.
The chorus of NeverTrumpers is wailing ever louder as election day and Hillary’s supposed victory approach. After more than a year of complaining about Trump crashing their political soiree, the Republicans attacking Trump still don’t seem to get how their own behavior contributed to the perception that they are out-of-touch elites disdainful of the Republican masses.
A recent example comes from premier NeverTrumper Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal . In his column Stephens bids farewell to a Republican Party stupid enough to nominate Trump, contrasting it with his imagined Golden Age of Republican policy excellence that Trump and his followers have destroyed. One policy in particular, immigration, reveals the distance between the political and pundit elite and the voting masses that helped make Trump the nominee:
At a 1980 Republican primary debate in Houston, candidates George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan were asked whether the children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend public schools for free. Mr. Bush said they should. “We’re creating a whole society of really honorable, decent, family-loving people that are in violation of the law,” he lamented.
Reagan agreed. Instead of “putting up a fence,” he asked, “why don’t we . . . make it possible for them to come here legally with a work permit, and then, while they’re working and earning here, they pay taxes here.” For good measure, Reagan suggested we should “open the border both ways.”
Where, in the populist fervor to build a wall with Mexico and deport millions of human beings, is that Republican Party today?
Take Bush senior’s statement first. It repeats basically the same clichés that the bipartisan Gang of Eight recycled in 2013 during their push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, another euphemism for amnesty. All those hard-working, family-values illegal immigrants are embryonic conservatives, we were told, who just need legal status and social recognition so they can “come out of the shadows,” as John McCain said, and start voting Republican. The political apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: son Jeb ended his presidential ambitions by calling illegal immigration an “act of love.”
This stance on illegal immigration by Republican politicos and pundits is obviously light-years from the experience and position of many ordinary people. Take McCain’s oft-repeated trope of “living in the shadows.” Seriously? Illegal alien young people openly protest on live television, knowing they are not going to be deported. Millions visit emergency rooms for free, and wrangle food stamps, welfare transfers, school lunches, and all sorts of largess, all the while they live protected by “sanctuary cities.” And “living in the shadows” doesn’t deter them from committing felonies, given that even if caught, convicted, and deported, they’ll soon be back. Remember Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, the illegal alien deported five times, who murdered Kate Steinle? Or Angel Gilberto Garcia-Avalos, another five-time deportee who just this month started a $61 million fire in Sequoia National Park? He had just been released from the Kern County Jail, but could not be deported because of California’s lunatic sanctuary city law, which prohibits a sheriff from contacting federal agents.
Simply repeating the “hard-working, family values, religious” mantra doesn’t address the problems of illegal immigration. There are such illegal immigrants, as I know from over sixty years of personal experience living in the San Joaquin Valley, one of the largest concentrations of illegal aliens in the country. I grew up with Mexican-Americans, they’re members of my immediate family, they’re my friends, students, and colleagues. They’re also the victims of the crimes and disorder caused by our porous border.
Some illegals do transition into these sort of immigrants, but many do not. A rigorous vetting process might sort out the wheat from the chaff. But Bush, McCain, and Stephens have not proposed a workable, rigorous mechanism for determining who should stay and who should go. That means with any form of amnesty, citizenship will likely be granted indiscriminately, with only the most egregious felons sifted out, if any are stupid enough to apply for citizenship rather than continuing to “live in the shadows.” But all those guilty of DUIs, hit-and-runs, or defrauding the welfare system with fake IDs will stay––and then bring their extended families under the provisions of the disastrous 1965 Immigration Act, which enshrined “family reunification,” with no limits on relatives of U.S. citizens.
Equally tone-deaf is Stephens’s bringing up Ronald Reagan’s “open the border both ways.” That’s exactly what he did in 1986 when he signed the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, which granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, with promises of “border enforcement” that never materialized. Stephens doesn’t mention that as a result, the number of illegal immigrants increased from about 3 million to 11 million, creating today’s crisis. The obvious lesson is secure the border first, then figure out what to do with the 11 million. It would be governmental malfeasance to repeat Reagan’s mistake.
The problem with politicians and pundits like Stephens is they don’t live with the consequences of indiscriminately letting in people from very different cultures and mores. People like Stephens don’t live daily with the disorder and crime that results. They’re not aware of the extensive damage to quality of life, the illegal immigration version of “broken windows,” such as dogs without rabies shots running free, health and safety codes ignored, building codes shrugged off, garbage and refuse dumped everywhere, copper wire stolen from pumps and street lights, and chronic petty theft––and that’s on top of stolen cars, hit-and-runs, driving without insurance, gang-banging, and dealing drugs.
And if Mr. Stephens thinks I’m just a nativist or xenophobe or racist, I dare him to visit the San Joaquin Valley. Better yet, let him bring his wife and children to live there for a month. Come and tour a hospital emergency room, a Social Security disability office, a public school, a county jail, and then wax lyrical about these “honorable, decent, family-loving people.” It would take just a week for Mr. Stephens to develop a “fervor” for a five-foot high wall around his house, and buy four or five pit bulls and a shotgun. Then again, he wouldn’t last that long. Within a day he’d scurry back to his nice, white, secure tony neighborhood where he doesn’t have to pay the cost of his moral preening.
And that hypocrisy is where Trump came from. In the perception of millions of voters––perceptions NeverTrumpers have fed so incessantly that they look a lot like reality––the conservative politicians and pundits care more about their privileged status and purity of principle than they do about the welfare and interests of their party’s voters. And so they would rather see a venal, perjurious, corrupt mediocrity become Obama 2.0 and continue the progressive destruction of the Constitutional order, than see elected the nominee of their own party. What sort of “principle” is that? | 0 |
TOKYO — Voters helped Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan move closer on Sunday to securing the lawmaker support he needs to revise a pacifist Constitution that has been in place since American occupiers created it in 1947. An official count on Monday morning showed the governing coalition and its allies had captured of the seats in the upper house of Parliament, the amount required to proceed with the constitutional revision. Despite a weak economy and divided public opinion on the expanded role for Japan’s military that Mr. Abe is seeking, his Liberal Democrats and their allies again won a commanding majority in the upper house. “This is the people’s voice letting us firmly move forward,” Mr. Abe said. When asked whether he would proceed with a revision of the Constitution, he said it had long been the Liberal Democrats’ goal. Whether Mr. Abe will be able to pursue that ambition — to overturn the constitutional clause that calls for the complete renunciation of war — remains to be seen. While the partners in the governing coalition have indicated some support for amendments, different groups have divided opinions on which clauses they want to change. Still, the election outcome is sure to give Mr. Abe more leverage. The results in Japan were achieved without the fiery populist emotions that have fueled the United States presidential race or the recent British vote to leave the European Union. Instead, the Japanese election seemed to reflect resignation with the status quo rather than a broad mandate. Voters see few alternatives, with many still feeling stung by what they saw as the opposition Democratic Party’s failure to deliver during its term before Mr. Abe came to power in 2012. “I think people are unhappy, but they don’t really see that voting is going to make things different,” said Jeff Kingston, the director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo. For Mr. Abe, he said, “the ace up his sleeve is the opposition. ” Professor Kingston added: “There is not an alternative. This is as lukewarm a sense of support as you get. ” As in previous elections, voter turnout was low. The Ministry of Internal Affairs put it at just under 55 percent, only slightly higher than results three years ago in the last upper house election. During the campaign this summer, Mr. Abe and other Liberal Democrats kept mostly quiet about their revisionist ambitions, which led opposition party leaders and some news media critics to accuse them of a hidden agenda. Mr. Abe focused mainly on economic policy — known as Abenomics — and other less contentious issues, like his promise to expand child care and nursing home slots. Although polls have shown that few Japanese believe the economy is thriving, Mr. Abe spoke with pride of growth in employment, without mentioning that the rise had been mostly in or contract jobs. “Abenomics is not failing,” Mr. Abe told a crowd of more than 1, 000 at his final campaign stop on Saturday evening in Tokyo. “The only choice is to go forward. ” Loyalty to the Liberal Democratic Party runs deep, a product of habit and history as much as support for its policies. Junko Kaneda, 84, who walked by herself through sweltering heat on Sunday to vote at a polling station in Nakano, a neighborhood in western Tokyo, recalled hiding in bomb shelters during World War II air raids. She said she was concerned about the Abe administration’s moves to revise the Constitution and expand Japan’s military powers. “But in the end,” she said, “I think all we can rely on is the L. D. P. ” The public remains split over constitutional revision. According to exit polls by NHK, about a third of voters said they supported some amendments, while another third said they saw no need to revise the governing document. Previous news media surveys showed even less support for constitutional revision. Although the governing coalition achieved the threshold in Parliament, it is not clear how quickly it could move to change the Constitution. The Liberal Democrats have also proposed amendments that could limit free speech deemed dangerous to the public interest and expand emergency powers for the prime minister. The Liberal Democrats will have to work with their coalition partners to gain consensus on which parts of the governing document to change. Any amendments must also be approved by a majority in a nationwide referendum. “We are talking about a tremendously complicated and contentious political process,” said Tobias Harris, a Japan analyst at Teneo Intelligence, a New York political risk consultancy. “The idea that Abe is just going to be able to get whatever he wants is just not the reality. ” Analysts said the governing coalition was unlikely to start with its most controversial proposal, which would revise the constitutional clause renouncing all war. Last year, when Mr. Abe pushed through legislation giving the military limited powers to fight in foreign conflicts for the first time since World War II, the move set off enormous protests. Some analysts said they were concerned that if the governing coalition obtained the threshold, it could find a way to sway public opinion in a referendum. “We have all seen what happened with ‘Brexit,’” said Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, referring to the British vote to leave the European Union. “The results can be unpredictable. ” Professor Nakano noted that Mr. Abe’s administration had sought to quiet critical news media coverage and that, most recently, the party had invited students, parents and educators to file online reports of incidents in which they believed a teacher had violated “political neutrality. ” “I cannot be as naïve as to think that there will be free debate in a to a national referendum,” Professor Nakano said. Other voters were ambivalent. “For revision of the Constitution, I don’t know what we should do,” said Ryuichi Okabayashi, 47, who voted for candidates from opposition parties at an elementary school polling station in Sagamihara, a suburban town southwest of Tokyo. “To be honest, I don’t want to send children to war. But I worry: What if Japan is attacked by China or North Korea? Japan needs military power in such cases. ” Several analysts said Mr. Abe might start with more technical amendments, like one that would change the votes needed to amend the Constitution. “By changing any part of the Constitution, he wants to leave his name in history,” said Ryosuke Nishida, an associate professor of public policy at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Japanese voters who selected opposition candidates on Sunday did so less out of passion than of protest. “I didn’t vote for positive reasons,” said Miu Okada, 30, an office worker in Nakano who said she simply chose a candidate who was not a member of the Liberal Democratic Party or its allies. Sunday’s election was also the first time that and had been allowed to vote. Yet many seemed apathetic about their new rights. Minori Hosaka, 18, a computer engineering major at Tokai University walking with a friend in the Akihabara district of Tokyo on the eve of the election, said he was not voting because he had not had time to move his residency from his hometown to Tokyo. Besides, he said, “I am not sure my own single vote can affect anything. ” | 1 |
sadly i think we might see that first hand. | 0 |
Chelsea Manning, who confessed to disclosing archives of secret diplomatic and military documents to WikiLeaks in 2010 and has been incarcerated longer than any other convicted leaker in American history, has formally petitioned President Obama to reduce the remainder of her sentence to the more than six years she has already served. In a statement accompanying her petition, a copy of which her lawyer provided to The New York Times, Ms. Manning again said she took “full and complete responsibility” for her actions, which she called “wrong. ” She also described her difficult life, including the turmoil she faced at the time of her leaks as she came to grips with gender dysphoria while deployed to Iraq, her treatment in prison, and her multiple suicide attempts. “I am not asking for a pardon of my conviction,” she wrote. “I understand that the various collateral consequences of the conviction will stay on my record forever. The sole relief I am asking for is to be released from military prison after serving six years of confinement as a person who did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members. ” Ms. Manning’s petition was accompanied by letters of support from Daniel Ellsberg, who is famous for leaking a classified history of the Vietnam War known as the Pentagon Papers Morris Davis, a former military commissions chief prosecutor and Glenn Greenwald, a legal commentator and journalist who has been an outspoken supporter. While military prosecutors portrayed Ms. Manning — formerly known as Pfc. Bradley Manning — as a traitor, many advocates consider her a and a hero. In interviews, both Mr. Davis and Mr. Ellsberg said they hoped that Mr. Obama would give special consideration to her request in light of the election of Donald J. Trump, suggesting that the would be less likely to give her favorable consideration. “I believe now, in the six and a half weeks we have remaining, we all have to ask President Obama to do with his powers good things before he leaves, before a new president comes in, and I really believe that he should commute Chelsea Manning’s sentence to time served,” Mr. Ellsberg said. A member of Ms. Manning’s volunteer support network said that a formal announcement and publicity campaign were scheduled for Monday. Several celebrities, including Michael Stipe of R. E. M. and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, are coordinating efforts aimed at building public support for Ms. Manning’s release. Both have previously made videos in support of her. While working as an intelligence analyst in a secure information facility at a forward operating base in Iraq, Ms. Manning copied and later sent to WikiLeaks hundreds of thousands of incident logs from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a diplomatic cables from American embassies around the world, dossiers about Guantánamo detainees, and a video showing an American helicopter strike on a group of people in Baghdad in which two Reuters journalists were killed. WikiLeaks later made the documents public, working with various traditional news media organizations, including The New York Times. After her arrest, Ms. Manning was tried by a where she confessed to the leaks and pleaded guilty to a lesser version of the charges against her without any plea deal to cap her sentence. Military prosecutors pressed forward with the trial and convicted her of most of the more serious versions of the charges, including multiple counts under the Espionage Act, a World War law that makes it a crime to disclose potentially harmful military secrets to someone not authorized to receive them. The law applies even if the defendant’s motivation was to inform the American public, rather than to help a foreign adversary. A military judge imposed a prison sentence of 35 years, dramatically longer than the sentences other accused leakers have received. While only a few leakers have been successfully prosecuted under the Espionage Act — the first such conviction came in 1985 — most of those convicted have received sentences of between about one year and three and a half years. In some leak cases, Espionage Act charges were dropped as part of plea deals. John Kiriakou, a former C. I. A. official who was accused of discussing with journalists the identities of fellow intelligence officials involved in interrogating terrorism suspects, was initially charged under the Espionage Act, but those charges were dropped as part of a plea deal in which he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Mr. Kiriakou, who has finished serving his sentence, has applied for a pardon, the Justice Department said. Still, Ms. Manning is different from him and most other accused leakers because she disclosed a large volume of documents covering many topics, rather than one or two particular secrets. In that sense, her case more closely resembles that of Edward J. Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who came forward in June 2013 as the source of a leaked archive of classified documents about surveillance. Mr. Snowden has also been charged under the Espionage Act, but he is living as a fugitive in Russia. In September, a group of Mr. Snowden’s supporters asked Mr. Obama to pardon him, although the White House has already ruled that out. Ms. Manning had petitioned for a full pardon three years ago, shortly after she was convicted and announced that she was transgender and was changing her name. She wrote in her statement that she now understood that her request had been premature and that “the relief requested was too much. ” | 1 |
Tuesday turned out to be quite the day for the English language. [First, Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Mike Schmidt said that Philadelphia’s Odubel Herrera’s “language barrier” prevented him from becoming a player that the Phillies could build around. Then, Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy got in on the act. During the middle innings of Tuesday night’s game between the Yankees and the Red Sox, Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka had a meeting on the mound with Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild, and Tanaka’s translator. Tanaka, who hails from Japan, needs the translator because he doesn’t speak English. Shortly after Tanaka’s translator walked off the mound, Remy on the subject of foreign players using translators. Remy said, “I don’t think that should be legal. I really don’t. ” “What is it you don’t like about that?” asked Red Sox announcer Dave O’Brien. “Learn baseball language,” Remy said. “It’s pretty simple. You break it down pretty easy between pitching coach and pitcher after a long period of time. ” It’s unknown if Remy made these comments because of Schmidt’s earlier remarks. It’s impossible to imagine that Remy wasn’t aware of them. Either way, this seems like a perfectly stupid thing to say. Who cares whether or not the guy uses a translator? “Learn baseball language?” If signs, and a couple carefully selected words were all that was needed to communicate with a pitcher, then managers and pitching coaches would never go to the mound, and would just give signals from the dugout. By definition, if the team ventures out to the mound, unless they’re just stalling for time, it means something needed to be said which required actual conversation. If the player and the coach don’t speak the same language, that’s a problem. Masahiro Tanaka isn’t some refugee, or illegal alien attempting to make America become more like Japan. He’s a baseball player, being paid $155 million dollars to win baseball games. Something he hasn’t done a whole lot of this year. That’s a bigger problem. One obvious enough that it doesn’t require a translator. Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn | 1 |
Militia Fighters to Advance on Areas West of City by Jason Ditz, October 28, 2016 Share This
After a week and a half of assuring everyone that their role in the invasion of Mosul would be very limited, and removed from the Sunni population, Iraq’s Shi’ite militias have been announced to have launched an offensive west of Mosul, advancing on Tal Afar .
According to officials, the main goal of this offensive is to cut the city of Mosul off from ISIS territory in Syria, preventing the ISIS fighters within the city from fleeing west if the battle begins to turn sour. The offensive is said to start “within a few days or hours.”
The involvement of Shi’ite militias in the “liberation” of Sunni Arab cities in Iraq has been controversial because they often end up carrying out extrajudicial executions, looting and torture of locals they suspect of being secretly in league with ISIS.
An effort to block flight from Mosul to ISIS territory is Syria would be an obvious step, but the militias’ involvement again risks targeting of civilians, as the population of from Mosul is already overrunning the minimal camps set up for the displaced.
Civilians fleeing these cities are usually not welcomed in Iraqi government-held territory, and wind up fleeing into other ISIS-held territory. With little left in Iraq, this likely means fleeing into Syria, and the militias’ presence means the civilians displaced by the attack are likely to be targeted for fleeing “with” ISIS. Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz | 0 |
1202 Views November 15, 2016 No Comments SITREPs Scott
Part 1 – The Russian navy modernisation program
“I would like to emphasize that we have commissioned 42 warships in the past three years, from 2013 to 2016. From 2016 to 2018 we are planning to commission more than 50 warships, ” Russian naval CINC, Admiral Vladimir Korolyov said . Read more
With only an estimated 48% of the Russian military has been modernised so far, it is certain that the Russian Navy is lagging behind. An interview with retired Deputy CINC Admiral Vasilyev provides more details on the scope of modernisation in all the regions of Russia, especially in the Arctic. RIA Novosti in Russian , in English
It is good to see that the Navy is getting its lion share at last. Despite some highly visible setbacks, (notably with the French pulling out from the Mistral class contract in 2014), this modernisation program truly heralds in a new era for the navy, on a scale not seen since the time of the Soviet Union, more than 35 years ago. Here’s a prime example of the latest type of warship to enter into service: the – “ Admiral Grigorovich ” LINK
The Russian Navy is focusing on new ships as part of the backbone of its green-water capabilities, while at the same time older Soviet era ships also get modernised & upgraded, the latest being the Marshal Ustinov , part of the Northern Fleet. Maintaining & deploying some of the older ships & as well as refitting such ships, underpins the blue-water naval component. Link to Ustinov Russian Navy Marshal Ustinov Cruiser Undergoes Final Tests in White Sea https://t.co/eDlwMyIoTI pic.twitter.com/C2YiSiZByG
— NavyRecognition (@NavyRecognition) November 10, 2016
Part 2 – The Syrian operations
“ Today the main thing — to increase the level of training of all categories of personnel in combat conditions at sea. And combat duty at sea is the best school and the best Academy for a sailor of any level and rank. ” Admiral (Rtd) Ivan Vasiliev.
The Dutch submarine and the Kuznetsov fleet
There is more to last week’s Dutch submarine incident than meets the eye, but I just can’t put my finger on what. Whatever happened officially, it was a very serious incident indeed. Routine tracking/surveillance missions by submarines don’t usually end up in the news. Unless the Russian MOD publicised this event to make a clear point to NATO, about its ability to detect & track NATO submarines.
More here
In spite of all of the disparaging memes about its smoke & breaking down, as officially reported on Russian TV on Saturday, the Kuznetsov’s air wing flies daily sorties off the Syrian coast, carrying out training & reconnaissance flights. ( Rossiya 1 – Vesti v subbotu ). Yet, MSM feathers are ruffled again, as the Kuznetsov is still causing moments of agitation in some circles. But even the US Pentagon states that the Russian naval jets aren’t carrying ordnance . Link
The Russian MOD confirmed that a naval MIG-29K crashed into the Med while returning to the carrier, off the Syrian coast, fortunately the pilot ejected and rescued by a SAR helicopter. Link
South Front produced this article on the deployment of the naval helicopters in Syria, which reportedly will make a vital contribution in a mass missile strike.
The missile types & capabilities onboard the Russian Navy fleet currently in the eastern Med is outlined in the infographic below: LINK
Naval movements
In other naval news, the Russian Navy’s Yug Class Oceanographic Research Vessel, Donuzlav, went south bound in October into the Mediterranean, so maybe it is playing a part in the Tartus naval base expansion. It is also likely that the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet’s Nanuchka class guided missile corvette (617) is also stationed off Syria, as part of the expanded Russian fleet. It is however not known whether it has joined the core Kuznetsov group. Rumours state that the 3 Russian submarines operating in the Med are: the “Lipetsk” -“Vyborg”& “St. Petersburg”.
The latest addition to the Syrian Express is Tapir Class LST “Nikolay Filchenkov” (152) & the Alexander Shabalin (110) both southbound en route to Tartus. Heading back home is the Tsezar Kunikov (158).
As of the 12th Nov, the Kuznetsov’s oiler Osipov, the tug Nikolai Chiker and the SB Prof. Muru are in Tartus. Also present is a general cargo ship, the STARSHINA DEROV N.G, with a Hazard A cargo, (explosives). There is another ship loaded with Dangerous Goods, the LADY EMAN, at anchorage. The logistics and supply aspect of the Syrian campaign is very busy, mostly preparation for the forthcoming campaign in the Aleppo region.
In other news, Syrian rebel linked social media claimed that a Russian warship fired a ballistic missile on the outskirts of Dana in the night of the 10th Nov. There has been no confirmation from Russian sources whatsoever.
Part 3- NATO’ s backyard
NATO announced on the 9th Nov the start of a ‘newish’ Operation Sea Guardian in the central Med area. It has been in the making since July, but evidently the timing or circumstances of this latest deployment don’t have a connection to the fact that the Russian Navy has just muscled in on NATO’s perceived “hallowed turf” with a significant naval presence in the eastern Med. [Sarc off]
Wasn’t this supposed to be the belated response to the migrant crisis that peaked last year in the Aegean Sea? NATO really took their time to assemble this. So far the Operation currently involves the Bulgarian, Italian, Greek and Spanish and Turkish navies. This is also the additional presence of a Greek & German submarine, as well as aircraft. According to the press statement : “ Operation Sea Guardian will help maintain an accurate picture of daily activity in the Mediterranean to help identify possible security concerns .” The mission can be broken down into 3 parts: LINK
1. Security & counter-terrorism
3. Capacity building
(Memo to NATO: Can I have that in plain English please?)
There is another aspect to this Operation Sea Guardian , since the core tasks can also be expanded to include freedom of navigation and interdiction tasks, amongst others. [ Ding ding.. alarm bells are ringing…. “freedom of navigation “ ? Ah, maybe stretching the mission a bit, to denying “freedom of navigation” to certain countries in the future?] As a stated by NATO, the aim of this Operation could change; to be tied in with Operation Sophia. So sometime in the future, it could conveniently include official monitoring of events in Syria & the Russian Navy in the Med. LINK
So on paper it looks like a well-oiled machine swinging into action, but judging from the tone of the title this Greek newspaper, “ NATO operation starts amid Greek-Turkish tensions “, the reality isn’t so rosy in the Aegean. LINK
Lastly, Obama will shortly visit Greece. Rumours state that the hidden agenda may include forcing Greece to block Russian warships from port calls. This thorny issue is seen as one of the stumbling blocks for the US & NATO. The Avaaz led campaign whirlwind stopped Spain and Malta from allowing the Russian warships to call in, but not Greece. The Russian foreign ministry replied to the pressures made on Spain & Malta to deny port calls to Russian naval ships. . @mfa_russia 's #Zakharova on the arrival of the #Russian Navy’s aircraft carrier group in the Mediterranean | #Malta https://t.co/G45qg8tErP pic.twitter.com/FIS4a6r5Gv
— RussianEmbassy Malta (@RusEmbMalta) November 11, 2016
US & NATO Surveillance
Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) appears to be tasked with watching over the Russian navy in the eastern Med. Further to my initial briefing, this includes the Canadian warship- Charlottetown (now in Toulon), Danish warship – Absalon and the Spanish oiler – Cantabria (A15). All have taken turns to watch the Kuznetsov fleet deployment.
Additionally, a USN P-8A Poseidon plane reportedly took off on the 10th Nov, from the Sigonella airbase in Sicily and monitored the activities of the Russian flotilla off Syria. This is not the first nor will it be the last either that the US Navy snoops on the Russians in the area. LINK
Once more the German navy’s warship, Braunschweig, (designated as “UN warship” on AIS), patrolling includes taking a cursory peek at the Russian navy off Tartus. F260 is part of UNIFIL in Lebanon. Yet it is an interesting turn of events, since back in October, the Braunschweig seemed to be also keeping an eye on the Russian ship Yantar. To whose benefit was it being done? The UN’s?
Part 4 – Further afield
Bab Al Mandeb and Yemen
The UK has ‘quietly’ deployed one of its latest class of warship , HMS Daring, to keep a watch on merchant shipping off Yemen. This comes after the October missile attacks against an UAE naval ship & 3 US warships on station there. Bab Al Mandeb is known as a maritime chokepoint and is a busy commercial route. LINK
This ties in nicely to my next topic, the Yantar, since it recently transited this area and so did the UK warship. The Yantar was last reported on AIS as ‘stationary’ in the middle of the Gulf, off Kharg, Iran, quite likely near to the GBICS submarine cable. As previously mentioned last week, it is probably looking for others nations’ ‘taps’ or ASW arrays in the area.
The Russian Pacific Fleet detachment
A group of Pacific Fleet ships left Vladivostok for the Indian Ocean on 17 Oct, consisting of the Admiral Tributs (564 ), ASW warship, Bystriy, a destroyer, a tug “Alatau” & oiler “Boris Batuma”. They were in Indonesia at the beginning of November on a goodwill visit .
It was rumoured that they would head for the Syria, but the latest unconfirmed rumour is that they are on exercise with the Chinese Navy again.
Chinese visit by Russian Navy CINC
Last week, the head of the Russian Navy ,Vladimir Korolyov, recently made a working visit to China. link
This comes on the back of China’s first ever invitation to the Russian Navy to participate in a “joint-military-exercise ” in the South China Sea back in October.
The visit by the Russian naval CINC , included China’s aircraft carrier the Liaoning during a working visit to China. Russian naval CINC Vladimir Korolyov visits #China 's aircraft carrier the Liaoning during a working visit to China, Nov 5 pic.twitter.com/kbvgz6i1no
— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) November 8, 2016
Originally a sister ship of the Kuznetsov, the Varyag, (Riga), was never finished, & was left to Ukraine which then sold it to China. Lately, the Russian CINC met his counterpart ADM Wu Shengli. Link in Chinese
What the Russian CINC made of the condition and life onboard compared to that of the Kuznetsov is not publicly known, although I suspect a few Russian ‘matros’ would be green with envy though (link to life onboard site). Are the Chinese pulling the leg of the Russians? (Look at the date of the article). Tour the Liaoning here :
Thank you for your time,
LeDahu The Essential Saker: from the trenches of the emerging multipolar world $27.95 | 0 |
( N.Morgan ) The hacktivist group known as Anonymous presents evidence in the video below that incriminates Hillary Clinton’s top aide, Huma Abedin for having deep ties to the the terrorists who funded the 9/11 tragedy.
Hillary Clinton’s political career has been shrouded in lies, conspiracies, and crimes, that her and Bill have always managed to slither out of, unscathed.
The terrorists who funded 9/11 also donated very generously to the infamous Clinton Foundation.
This latest exposure by Anonymous is a serious issue that voters need to take into consideration before voting next week.
Where does Hillary Clinton’s loyalties lie and with whom?
To read more and see the important video, click here .
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WASHINGTON — President Trump made clear in his fiery inaugural speech that he was going to challenge the Washington establishment. Now the establishment is quickly pushing back, creating a palpable air of uncertainty and chaos in the opening days of his administration. The new president fired an acting attorney general who refused to defend the administration’s executive order on immigration. Democrats on Tuesday boycotted Senate confirmation hearings to prevent votes on cabinet nominees. State Department employees opposed to the administration were urged to quit if they didn’t like Mr. Trump’s direction. Even after years of unbreakable gridlock and unyielding partisanship, it was a jarring new level of confrontation and conflict, and it was contributing to a building sense of crisis just as the new president was to disclose the identity of a new Supreme Court nominee — a selection certain to further inflame tensions. Republicans, adjusting to the new era, seemed blindsided by the rapid pace of events and the worrying failure of the new administration to engage in the and consultation that would typically accompany the issuance of a potentially explosive proposal like the freeze on visas for refugees and immigrants from select countries. “It’s regrettable that there was some confusion with the rollout,” Speaker Paul D. Ryan told reporters Tuesday, noting that top Republicans learned of the contents of the order only as it was being issued. That secretive, closely held approach may be the preferred choice of the president and disrupters like his senior adviser, Stephen K. Bannon, who is quickly emerging as the power in the West Wing, but not by more conventional politicians who definitely don’t like to be caught off guard. Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York, said similar failings had emerged in the early days of previous administrations but would not be tolerated for long. “You get a brief period you’re allowed for a learning curve, but after that, you have to get your act together,” Mr. King said. One veteran of past Republican administrations, acknowledging the Trump White House was still in its “shakedown” phase, encouraged the president’s staff to focus more on consultation to avert confusion. “Process matters,” said Kenneth M. Duberstein, who served as chief of staff to Ronald Reagan. “You are dealing with not just senior management, but with a variety of constituencies and a board of directors of 535 people. ” Still, the main Republican objection seemed to be with the handling of the executive order by the inexperienced and understaffed White House rather than the actual content of the order. Several Republicans noted that they were fully supportive of the border control effort and that the substance mirrored legislation the House had passed last year. Unlike the Democrats, there was almost universal support among Republicans for the firing of Sally Q. Yates, the acting attorney general. Republicans say they remain eager to work with the president to reverse what they see as Obama administration overreach and put their own conservative stamp on the government. In their view, the furor and continuing tumult in official Washington isn’t necessarily upsetting to the voters back home. “President Trump has made clear that he is a man of action and we are ready,” said Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, a member of the House Republican leadership. How ready remained an open question. Most in Congress, regardless of party, take their role seriously as members of a coequal branch of government and they don’t take well to being kept out of the loop on matters for which they will be held to account. In other corners of the establishment, the reaction to the first days of the Trump era was not nearly as enthusiastic as that of Ms. McMorris Rodgers. One usually Republican consultant who didn’t want to be identified picking a fight with the new president said a continuation of the turmoil would quickly call into question the basic competency of the new administration. He noted that despite being in the middle of past Supreme Court confirmation fights, he surprisingly had not heard from the White House for ideas on how to handle the coming one. Democrats remained generally aghast, with Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, noting a “very tense environment between Democrats in Congress and the White House, and I think these executive orders have really pushed to the limit the relationship between us. ” At least part of the mounting consternation in the capital was because of the clear break with ingrained rituals and ways of doing business. When Democrats were clashing with President George W. Bush, there was a general expectation of how things would go and the realization that both sides understood their roles. Over eight years of the Obama administration, the two parties settled into a predictable pattern of Republicans opposing the president and Democrats trying to find a way around it. Despite frequent visits to the brink of crisis, the adversaries tended to find a resolution before the damage was beyond repair. With the Trump team, no one as yet is sure what to anticipate, leaving nerves jangled and people wondering what is next — a rollback of gay legal protections (denied by the White House) or a move against the young undocumented immigrants in the Dreamers program? What about a clash with Iran or an embrace of Russia? Mr. Trump and his team seem in some ways to be enjoying the confusion they have come to create. “We’re going to be changing a lot of — a lot of the rules,” the president exclaimed Tuesday at a White House meeting with pharmaceutical executives. His comments were aimed at what to do about drug development and pricing. But they seemed to imply so much more, keeping Washington on edge. | 1 |
Clinton transmitted classified info to her lawyers Andrew McCarthy: There's no attorney exception to criminal law that prohibits such action Published: 27 mins ago
(National Review) — What was the legal rationale under which Hillary Clinton quite intentionally shared classified information with her lawyers, including David Kendall, Cheryl Mills, and Heather Samuelson?
As I outlined in last weekend’s column, we know that Clinton’s e-mails were replete with classified information. According to the FBI, the classified e-mails included intelligence graded at the most closely guarded level: eight top-secret e-mails, and seven designated as “special access program” (SAP) information. (While FBI director James Comey’s presentation understandably left this vague, the likelihood is that seven of the eight top-secret e-mails are SAP.) Under President Bill Clinton’s 1995 executive order, top-secret intelligence is information the mishandling of which “could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.” The SAP designation is added when the unauthorized disclosure of intelligence could compromise critical intelligence-gathering methods or imperil the lives of intelligence sources.
That is why access to this information is so tightly restricted, and its unauthorized disclosure is routinely prosecuted. | 0 |
Wednesday in Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA at the annual Code Conference, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said the barrage of “fake news” and hacked emails released during the 2016 presidential campaign had to have been from the Russians and “guided by Americans. ” Clinton said, “I think it’s fair to ask, how did that actually influence the campaign, and how did they know what messages to deliver? Who told them? Who were they coordinating with, and colluding with?” Clinton continued, “The Russians in my opinion — and based on intelligence and counterintelligence people I have talked to — could not have known best how to weaponize that information unless they had been guided … Guided by Americans. ” When asked if she believed the campaign of President Donald Trump could have been involved she said, “Yes, I am leaning Trump. I think it’s pretty hard not to. ” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 1 |
British political parties have announced they are suspending campaigning for the forthcoming general election after a suicide bombing in Manchester killed at least 22, and injured 60. [The move to suspend campaigning follows the form established after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox during the independence referendum campaign in 2016 when all major parties announced they would cancel events out of respect. A similar suspension took place during the recent French presidential election campaign after three French police officers were shot, one fatally, in central Paris in a suspected terror attack days before the vote. Fifteen full days remain until the polls open for Britain’s general election. Speaking after last night’s attack, British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Theresa May said: “We are working to establish the full details of what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack. All our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected. ” In a statement, the prime minister said: “I’d like to pay tribute to the emergency services who have worked throughout the night professionally and effectively — they have done an excellent job. “Later on this morning, I will be attending Cobra, chaired by the Prime Minister, to collect more information — to find out more — about this particular attack, and I can’t comment any more on that at the moment. “The public should remain alert but not alarmed. If they have anything to report, they should approach the police. But I have two further things to add. The great city of Manchester has been affected by terrorism before. Its spirit was not bowed its community continued. “This time it has been a particular attack on the most vulnerable in our society — its intention was to sow fear — its intention is to divide. But it will not succeed. ” Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said “the whole country will grieve” after the attack and had agreed to suspend nationwide campaigning “until further notice”. UKIP leader Paul Nuttall joined others in releasing a statement assuring “prayers and thoughts” for those affected and declaring a suspension of campaigning. | 1 |
A herd of stampeding wild boars killed three Islamic State terrorists in a fiercely contested area of Northern Iraq, according to local sources. [The Times of London reports that a group of Islamic State jihadists was preparing an ambush in a field 50 miles from the Iraqi city of Kirkuk before being overwhelmed by a stampeding herd of wild boars, killing three terrorists and leaving five seriously injured. Sheikh Anwar chief of the local Ubaid tribe organizing forces, told The Times that some militants had escaped death by managing to hide in large areas of reeds, but others had not been so lucky. “It is likely their movement disturbed a herd of wild pigs, which inhabit the area as well as the nearby cornfields,” he said. “The area is dense with reeds, which are good for hiding in. ” A group of refugees fleeing the region discovered the bodies. According to deputy head of the Kurdish intelligence service Brigadier Azad Jelal, jihadists in the area responded to the incident by going on a killing spree of the area’s wild boars. Anwar also revealed that the incident happened shortly after the militants had slaughtered 25 people to death in Hawija, one of the few districts the Islamic State still controls, and a site where they regularly carry out mass killings. In August last year, the group massacred 85 civilians in Hawija as an apparent show of strength. Mosul, the country’s city, remains the last major Islamic State stronghold in Iraq, as Kurdish forces fight to reclaim it. You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart. com | 1 |
TESTOSTERONE REXMyths of Sex, Science, and SocietyBy Cordelia Fine 266 pp. W. W. Norton Company. $26. 95. If you hear a metallic rasp as you open the cover of Cordelia Fine’s new book, don’t be alarmed. It’s just the sound of the author sharpening her knives, the better to carve up the carcass of what she calls “Testosterone Rex”: the big, scaly body of assumptions, preconceptions, conjectures and distortions regarding “what men are like” and “what women are like. ” Fine takes on this king of all biases with admirable vigor, and it’s a pleasure — albeit a strenuous one — to follow the action as she dismembers the beast. She dissects as she goes, bringing a probing intelligence not only to what we believe about gender, and why it’s often wrong, but also to the history of how we came to think it was so. And lest we think gender stereotypes are themselves history, Fine produces an array of wincingly recent portrayals drawn from popular media. Like this rhetorical question from The Financial Times, meant to make clear why natural selection favored a taste for : “Were the young women of the tribe more impressed when the cautious described their uneventful days,” the columnist John Kay asks, “or when the bold recalled their heroic escape from danger?” Kay exhibits little awareness of the possibility that those rapt “young women” might be independent agents who themselves chose to take risks, or not. Fine, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne, is also willing to take a blade to the work of some of her fellow academics. She notes that Larry Cahill, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Irvine, has likened women and men to “very different kinds of car”: specifically, a Volvo and a Corvette. “Perhaps not coincidentally,” Fine dryly observes, “one is a nice, safe family vehicle with plenty of room in the trunk for groceries the other is designed to offer power and status. ” With keen precision and sharp humor, Fine shows how deeply our assumptions about gender are embedded in the questions that we — scientists, journalists and the rest of us — pose, the analogies we choose, even the options we’re offered on surveys. Built into the very structures of our thinking is the notion of women as less: less lustful, less competitive, less aggressive than men. Fine holds one such belief after another up to the light and wonders: How do we know this is true? Often, it turns out, it’s not true to the extent we imagine, or not true at all. Take, for instance, that presumption — apparently supported by science — that men are more enthusiastic than women. The finding is based on male and female subjects’ responses to survey questions about their propensity to engage in risky behaviors. As Fine observes, however, “researchers have to make decisions about the kinds of risks they decide to investigate” — and the kinds of risk they have consistently decided upon have a culturally masculine cast, focused on activities like sports betting, financial investments, motorcycle riding and extreme sports like sky diving or bungee jumping. The author continues: “Although women routinely take risks, these often seem to slip under the research radar. For example, with divorce rates hovering close to 50 percent, being the one to quit or scale back your job when children arrive is a significant economic risk. Going on a date can end in sexual assault. Leaving a marriage is financially, socially and emotionally risky. In the United States, being pregnant is about 20 times more likely to result in death than is a sky dive. ” Our habit of defining risk in traditionally male terms has rigged the game against the perception of women as in their own right. Well, then, what about the even more entrenched idea that evolution has primed men to desire many and varied sex partners? Here Fine quotes the Bradley University psychologist David Schmitt: “Consider that one man can produce as many as 100 offspring by indiscriminately mating with 100 women in a given year, whereas a man who is monogamous will tend to have only one child with his partner during that same time period. ” Fine expertly fillets this familiar premise, noting, among other inconvenient facts, that “the probability of a woman becoming pregnant from a single randomly timed act of intercourse is about 3 percent,” and that in historical and traditional societies, as many as 80 to 90 percent of women of reproductive age at any one time might already be pregnant, or infertile while they were . “The theoretical possibility that a male could produce dozens of offspring if he mated with dozens of females is of little consequence if, in reality, there are few females available to fertilize,” Fine comments. Think about it: For every man on the prowl, there simply aren’t a hundred women available to bear his child. For all men not named Genghis Khan, monogamy must have started to look like a pretty smart bet. Again and again, Fine questions the way we think of biological sex “as a fundamental force in development that creates not just two kinds of reproductive system, but two kinds of people. ” (Or as she quotes yet another academic: “Psychologically, men and women are almost a different species. ”) Fine offers a satisfying counterpoint to this claim: People, she writes, are so different from one another as to seem members of multiple species — a variety not constrained or contained by dichotomous categories of male and female. Indeed, the fantastic diversity of Earth’s is one of Fine’s recurring themes. To the many nonhuman species she writes about, the author brings her characteristically vivid descriptions and droll humor: We learn that male and female African forest weaver birds sing together, in unison that male macaque monkeys sometimes carry and groom their babies that female sandpipers are shamelessly promiscuous. (“While ‘promiscuous’ is a highly term, no moral judgment whatsoever is implied by its application here,” Fine writes. “Not even for those slutty sandpipers. ”) Fine is also quite funny when observing how gender roles play out in her own life, and how stereotypes attach to her vocation as a feminist science writer. When she told her young son — who, she notes, “has a strange, unchildlike interest in taxidermy” — that it was time to get the family dog neutered, he excitedly suggested turning the testicles into a key ring. Fine remarks: “Contrary to a prevailing view of the feminist as the kind of person who could think of no more inspiring and motivating a start to the workday than to unlock her office with a set of keys from which dangles a pair of testicles, I strongly vetoed my son’s suggestion. ” Colorful zoological anecdotes and amusing domestic interludes provide a welcome respite from the author’s argument. If her book has a fault, it is that it is rather too thoroughly argued. The indomitable Fine amasses evidence, addresses objections and accumulates footnotes at such a brisk pace that the panting reader wishes at times for a water break. There’s no doubt, however, that such tireless energy is just what’s needed to slay a monster of this gargantuan size and this determined tenacity. Beliefs about men and women are as old as humanity itself, but Fine’s funny, spiky book gives reason to hope that we’ve heard Testosterone rex’s last roar. | 1 |
Tuesday 8 November 2016 by Fat Jim Marks and Spencer to turn High Street stores into Bingo Halls
Marks and Spencer have announced it will convert all clothing and home shops to highly profitable bingo halls and high stake slot machine centres.
The struggling retailer announced its turnaround plan as it seeks to address the changing needs of British customers.
The move will also see an end to low-cost child labour exploitation as the company can now exploit an entirely new and untapped demographic, right here in this country.
The retailer’s main customer base was found to be the over 60’s, many with a walking frame or one of those upright shopping bags with wheels. This core support still likes M&S, but only because they have lost most of their faculties and are not in a position to realise how awful it has become.
M&S retail executive, Simon Williams, told us, “I looked at these customers of ours and thought ‘Bingo’, we already have a captive audience of people that want to throw their pensions away on unachievable lifestyle marketing – it’s the logical next step.”
Chief Executive Steven Roe said, “We thought the British public wanted moderately affordable clothing in classic styles, but it turns out they actually want to throw their money into betting machines and to pay extortionate amounts for the thrill of ticking numbers off on a piece of paper.
“If the referendum taught us anything, it’s that when the people speak, we must listen.” Get the best NewsThump stories in your mailbox every Friday, for FREE! There are currently witterings below - why not add your own? | 0 |
On Tuesday, President Obama pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 270 people, including Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, and Oscar López Rivera, a Puerto Rican nationalist. Far down on the list, attracting almost no attention, was a boldface name from the disco days and nights of Manhattan in the 1970s. Ian Schrager, a hotelier and real estate developer whose club, Studio 54, was a notorious celebrity hangout, was among the 64 people granted a pardon in the waning moments of Mr. Obama’s presidency. The wild nightclub was central in Mr. Schrager’s conviction in 1980 on felony tax evasion charges he was accused of hiding money the club made from the government, concealing some of it in trash bags and ceiling panels. With a portfolio that has included some of the most expensive residential real estate in Manhattan — and boutique hotels, whose very concept he helped invent — Mr. Schrager seems to have little tangible need for a presidential intercession to set aside his conviction. He agrees, to a point. “I was able to overcome everything by being tenacious and, I suppose, relentless, and having successful products,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. “It wasn’t something that I needed to continue business. ” Instead, he said, it was knowing that his son, who is 6, would grow up to learn what he had done that pushed Mr. Schrager to hire a Washington law firm, Hogan Lovells, four years ago to apply for a pardon. “I wanted it for closure. I wanted it for my family,” he said. “It’s hard to be a good example for your kids when you did something like what I did, and you try to teach your kids to live by the rules and be an upstanding person. ” Mr. Schrager applied in 2012 for the pardon, which restores civil liberties like voting but does not expunge a criminal record, and he waited each year for a decision, with no word back. The lawyer who helped with Mr. Schrager’s pardon application, H. P. Goldfield, said it was not his client’s financial success or connections that ultimately made his pardon application successful, but how Mr. Schrager had lived his life in the years since he left prison. “It’s not just saying, ‘I’m sorry.’ There has got to be a sense that the person is really remorseful and admits their wrongdoing and that they’ve lived an exemplary life ever since,” Mr. Goldfield said, pointing to the thousands of jobs that Mr. Schrager’s company had created and his history as a mentor to young people. “He has really lived an exemplary life. He asked for forgiveness, and the president saw it in his heart to forgive. ” The application also asks for written testimony from three character witnesses. Mr. Schrager, 70, declined to say who they were. “It happened when I was young enough, and thank God, having lost everything, I didn’t lose my enthusiasm for life,” he said. “Either I was just going to give up, or dust myself off and put my head down and just try and recoup everything that l lost. ” “Some of it you can’t recoup,” he added. “I’ll always have the scar. ” The felony conviction made it difficult to himself after his release from prison. Mr. Schrager recalled having to drive to Virginia just to get a credit card, because banks in New York would not do business with him. Convicted felons cannot legally obtain a liquor license, so his first hotels in Manhattan, including Morgans and the Paramount, could not serve liquor, he said. In 1992, a lawyer for Mr. Schrager convinced the State Liquor Authority that he was sufficiently rehabilitated to merit another license. Mr. Schrager was convicted with his closest friend and business partner, Steve Rubell, who died in 1989. Some of his first thoughts upon learning of the pardon were of Mr. Rubell, Mr. Schrager said. “I’ll never have another friend like Steve,” he said. “And now I am here bringing closure to this event, and it’s bittersweet — I can’t share that with him. ” His conviction has brought other lingering effects. At airports, he is detained for questioning when he the country, Mr. Schrager said. He said he was unsure if those stops would diminish after the pardon. But the lasting effect after more than three decades is mostly emotional, an abiding sense of shame. On Tuesday, when Mr. Goldfield called to tell him the news, Mr. Schrager was at his home in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. His son overheard the ensuing excited conversation between Mr. Schrager and his wife, Tania Wahlstedt. “He knew something good had happened, and he asked me, ‘Well, what’s so good that happened? ’” Mr. Schrager recalled. “I still didn’t feel like talking about it,’’ he said. “I said, ‘Well, the president said I was a good guy’ — that was enough. ” | 1 |
Suspect captured in ‘ambush-style’ killings of two Iowa cops 11/02/2016
USA TODAY
Authorities captured a 46-year-old male suspect without incident Wednesday, hours after an early-morning “ambush-style” killing of two police officers in the Des Moines metro area.
The suspect in the back-to-back killings was identified as Scott Michael Greene, said Urbandale police spokesman Sgt. Chad Underwood. Before capturing him, police had described Greene, who was last seen driving a blue Ford F-150 with an Iowa license plate, as armed and dangerous.
Greene was taken into custody by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department while walking along a rural road in Redfield, about 35 miles west of where the shootings occurred.
According to police, Greene flagged down a passing Department of Natural Resources officer, handed over his ID and told the officer to call police. No shots were fired and there was no struggle, according to police.
The suspect was taken by ambulance to a Des Moines hospital with an unknown injury.
In a late morning news conference, police identified the slain officers as Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin and Des Moines police Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Beminio.
The attacks began around 1:06 a.m. CT, when police departments from both cities responded to reports of gunfire at the intersection of 70th Street and Aurora Avenue in Urbandale.
The first officers arriving on the scene found Martin fatally wounded. About 20 minutes later, some two miles away, Beminio was was shot near the intersection of Merle Hay Road and Sheridan Ave. while responding to reports of the first officer’s shooting. Beminio was transported to Iowa Methodist Medical Center, where he died. Scott Michael Greene (Photo: Des Moines Police)
Both officers were gunned down in their patrol cars.
“It doesn’t look like there was any interaction between these officers and whoever the coward is that shot them while they sat in their cars,” a visibly emotional Parizek told reporters.
“In all appearances it looks … that these officers were ambushed,” he added. Officer from Des Moines and another from Urbandale were shot and killed in their cars, @dmpolice said. #officersdown
— Daniel P. Finney (@newsmanone) November 2, 2016
Des Moines police, fearing officers were being singled out, paired up its patrol officers so none were on the street alone, Parizek said.
“There’s literally a clear and present danger if you’re a police officer,” he said.
Police did not offer many details on how investigators identified Greene as a suspect. Underwood said he was identified “through a series of leads and a series of investigative tips.”
As of an early-morning news conference, police were still notifying the family members of the slain officers and planned to withhold the officers’ names, years of service and other details until later in the day, Parizek said.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch condemned the killings, saying “violence has no place in the United States of America.’’
“Let me be clear, there is no message in murder,’’ the attorney general said, referring to simmering distrust between law enforcement and many communities across the country. “Violence creates nothing; it only destroys.’’ A Des Moines police officer was found fatally shot in a vehicle near the intersection of Merle Hay Road and Sheridan Avenue in Des Moines on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016. (Photo: Brian Powers, The Des Moines Register)
It’s the first time Des Moines has seen a police officer shot and killed in the line of duty since two officers were gunned down in separate incidents in 1977.
Two Des Moines officers, Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente-Morales, died earlier this year when their vehicle was struck head-on by a wrong-way drunk driver.
The killing of the Urbandale officer appeared to be the city’s first for an officer shot in the line of duty, Underwood said at the news conference.
Parizek thanked the community for its support when the department lost Farrell and Puente-Morales, as well as with this tragedy.
“I don’t even know where to begin on how bad this year is,” he said. But, “this is what we do. We come in day in and day out, we go out there and provide the same level of service regardless of what’s going on in our personal and professional lives.” Officers investigate the scene at Merle Hay and Sheridan ave. where an officer was found shot at about 1:26 A.M. on on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, in Urbandale.
In a statement, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad called the attack on the officers “an attack on the public safety of all Iowans.”
“We call on Iowans to support our law enforcement officials in bringing this suspect to justice,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the police officers who were tragically killed in the line of duty as well as the officers who continue to put themselves in harm’s way.”
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst extended her thoughts and prayers to the families of the officers killed.
“Although the investigation is still unfolding, what appears to be an ambush attack of police in the line of duty is an attack on the community at large and all of the men and women who risk their lives every day to protect us,” Ernst said. “This was a senseless act of violence and it cannot be tolerated.”
Finney and Haley report for The Des Moines Register. Follow them on Twitter: @newsmanone and @charlyhaley . Stanglin reports for USA TODAY in McLean, Va. | 0 |
October 29, 2016
Weiner's revenge. Do Jews go to jail? He may be able to finagle this into some kind of legal cloak for himself.
Can't stand Kelly's 'active listening' face. She has practiced keeping that big mandible shut - you can see her wanting to interrupt. Her neck strength must be immense.
Studies show her jaw currently weighs 74.3 lbs. Holding it shut is a catch-22 as it grows through the act of holding itself shut (she cut her hair to decrease neck strain). Leading scientists/studies show, if she does not allow herself to become a mouth breather, that her mandible will triple in size by 3/10/2018. The growth tripling time will decrease by 6 mo's every month thereafter. | 0 |
The underrepresentation of women among the senior ranks of scholars has led dozens of universities to adopt employment policies. But a recent study of economists in the United States finds that some of these policies have had an unintended consequence: They have advanced the careers of male economists, often at women’s expense. Similar patterns probably hold in other disciplines, too. The central problem is that employment policies that are on paper may not be in effect. After all, most women receive parental benefits only after bearing the burden of pregnancy, childbirth, nursing, and often, a larger share of parenting responsibilities. Yet fathers usually receive the same benefits without bearing anything close to the same burden. Given this asymmetry, it’s little wonder some recently instituted benefits have given men an advantage. To succeed at top universities, academics must finish graduate school, find a job as an assistant professor and then race to establish themselves as researchers before being evaluated for tenure. Succeed within seven years and you have a job for life. Fall short, and you’re fired. It can be a particularly difficult path for women, for whom this career pressure typically coincides with prime childbearing years. Making matters worse, while many male academics are supported by wives, women more typically wed husbands with their own professional career pressures. To combat these disparities, many universities have adopted policies that give new parents greater flexibility. Typically, this means extending the period of tenure evaluation, usually by an extra year for each child. In practice, these policies are usually giving dads an extra year to establish their reputations, just like moms. Universities typically adopted such policies in the 1990s and early 2000s, while about chose not to do so. Three economists — Heather Antecol, a professor at Claremont McKenna College, Kelly Bedard, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Jenna Stearns, a doctoral student at Santa Barbara — evaluated these policies in important new research. The policies led to a 19 rise in the probability that a male economist would earn tenure at his first job. In contrast, women’s chances of gaining tenure fell by 22 percentage points. Before the arrival of tenure extension, a little less than 30 percent of both women and men at these institutions gained tenure at their first jobs. The decline for women is therefore very large. It suggests that the new policies made it extraordinarily rare for female economists to clear the tenure hurdle. Shelly Lundberg, an economics professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who was not involved in the study, told me that while she had long “suspected that these policies had an unintended negative impact on women,” the magnitude of the effect surprised her. The researchers compiled new data on the career trajectories of all untenured economists hired over the last 20 years at the 50 leading economics departments, and coupled it with details about policies instituted by those universities that extended the tenure clock for new parents. The authors compared promotion rates before and after these parental policies were adopted, relative to trends in comparable institutions that did not alter their policies, while also accounting for an array of influences, like where each economist was trained. They found that men who took parental leave used the extra year to publish their research, amassing impressive publication records. But there was no parallel rise in the output of female economists. Perhaps this reflects the physical toll of pregnancy, the difficulties of a complicated birth, the extra task of nursing or simply an unwillingness to shirk parenting duties. Whatever the cause, the findings are exactly what you would have expected if becoming a parent exacted a greater career sacrifice for women than men. By giving men a relative advantage, these policies appear to have effectively raised the tenure bar for women. Alison dean of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, said these findings “clearly conform to what I see on the ground every day,” adding that “the extra year for men just disadvantages women. ” The problem, said Ms. is that “giving birth is not a event,” recalling that during her pregnancy, “I threw up every day. ” She argued, “Policies that are neutral in the eyes of a lawyer are not neutral in fact. ” This accords with what I’ve seen among my own colleagues. Male economists typically approach parenthood with few concerns about possible professional consequences. Women, however, are often counseled to delay motherhood until they have been evaluated for tenure. I expect this research to provoke some difficult discussions at universities. Better policies could help economics — not to mention the sciences and other fields — look like less of a boys’ club. The University of Michigan, where I work, recently adopted a tenure extension policy that explicitly recognizes the effects of pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions. Ms. said that at the business school, “men don’t get extensions unless they have clear and compelling circumstances. ” At this point, so few universities have adopted policies that treat mothers differently from fathers that researchers can’t assess them precisely. Ms. Stearns, one of the study’s authors, noted that policies aren’t, in themselves, bad. Standard parental leave policies outside the academic world offer a benefit that “is the same for men and women — both don’t go to work for six weeks. ” She argued that parental leave is a case where policies may specifically help women by “decreasing stigma about use. ” The tenure extension policy that she analyzed, though, “is unique in that it is designed to change productivity evaluations of new parents. ” Gender neutrality in this case may be more problematic, she said. Economics remains a field, and the research shows that policies fueled by the best intentions of universities have made an imbalance worse. Three female economists have shown that the tools of economics — which enable a careful assessment of incentives and constraints informed by data — suggest that a more nuanced policy would lead to better outcomes. It leaves me wondering how many other policy mistakes we could avoid, if only we had more female economists. | 1 |
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Insists Russia Defines Itself by Opposition to the West
The first time a top British spy has ever given a newspaper interview, MI5 chief Andrew Parker has spoken with the Guardian , playing up the “growing threat” posed by Russia against British interests around the world.
Parker claimed a “whole range of state organs and powers” in Russia are being brought to bear against Britain and the US, claiming that the advent of cyberwarfare has increased the number of ways in which Russia can move against them.
Parker went on to claim that Russia defines itself by opposition to the West and, despite being a “covert threat for decades” has been increasingly hostile, citing their operations in Ukraine and Syria as proof that they are acting to just spite the West.
This has been a common western talking point, but in practice Western (read: US) policy in both Ukraine and Syria appears to have itself been built with an eye toward being on the opposite side from Russia in the first place, and Russia is then condemned for acting in their own interests.
This was particularly glaring in Syria, where Russia’s interest was obviously in the survival of a friendly Syrian government to host their naval base, and where “countering” Russia has brought the US “anti-ISIS coalition” into increasingly overt support for al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front, simply because they’re the ones most directly fighting against Russia. | 0 |
While President Trump’s travel ban threw American airports into chaos last weekend, Bob Ferguson, the attorney general of Washington State, was biding his time on an airplane. On his way home from a conference of Democratic attorneys general in Florida, Mr. Ferguson landed a week ago in the center of a political and legal firestorm. International Airport was in disarray, with protests massing. Gov. Jay Inslee, a fellow Democrat, had sent word to the attorney general’s staff that he wanted to mount a attack on the president’s decree. Within two days, Mr. Ferguson had become a leading combatant in a battle with the president of the United States, filing a dramatic challenge to Mr. Trump’s travel ban that yielded a ruling from a federal judge on Friday freezing the order’s implementation. A genial with an earnest demeanor, Mr. Ferguson cuts an unlikely figure as an antagonist for the most pugilistic president in modern times. He is seen in the state less as a showman than as a former member of the King County Council with a wonky sensibility and an eager manner. But Mr. Ferguson, by his own account and the description of his associates, was incensed and offended by Mr. Trump’s sweeping immigration restrictions. And having landed in Seattle on the first full day the ban was in effect — while demonstrations grew across the country — he went home to greet his family and then went to work devising a plan to cripple Mr. Trump’s new policy. In an interview, Mr. Ferguson said he had concluded from the start that Mr. Trump’s order was “unlawful and unconstitutional,” and that any appropriate response would have to aim at neutering it entirely. Eschewing the approach of other states, which have challenged Mr. Trump’s order by highlighting the claims of individual plaintiffs, Mr. Ferguson and his office opted to draft a complaint arguing that the ban would cause drastic damage to Washington State as a whole. Mr. Ferguson said that the state solicitor general, Noah Purcell, a former Supreme Court clerk for David H. Souter, had suggested last weekend that the state enlist major private companies as allies. And so the attorney general spoke by telephone with a host of executives, including the corporate counsels of Expedia and Amazon, who agreed to supply forceful declarations for the state’s suit, describing the damage that the White House order could inflict. Mr. Ferguson said he had recognized at the time that this was a potentially risky approach, seeking a more sweeping victory with a comparatively untested legal strategy. But Mr. Ferguson, a former state chess champion, explained in precise language that he had decided it was a gamble worth taking. “From my standpoint there is risk in everything, but I am someone who believes in calculated risk,” Mr. Ferguson said in the interview. “One just needs to be comfortable with that. And when it comes to the constitutional rights of my people, the people I represent, I’m prepared to take a calculated risk on their behalf. ” Mr. Inslee, also in an interview, said he strongly backed Mr. Ferguson’s approach, viewing Mr. Trump’s order as a unique threat to their state’s economy, which depends heavily on international trade, and to the state’s diverse population. In his view, the governor said, the state was right to make “any plausible claim” to take down the order. Few other states adopted such a daring strategy. Mr. Ferguson said he had invited other Democratic attorneys general to join in his lawsuit, finding only one taker so far: Lori Swanson of Minnesota. Mr. Ferguson said there were other states still weighing whether to join him. Mr. Inslee described the Friday ruling as a special kind of victory for Washington State, which draws relatively little attention in national politics but tends to race ahead of national trends on social issues. “It’s part of our nature and history,” Mr. Inslee said. “This is the first time this administration has been reined in. ” | 1 |
Video footage of a police chief being pulled over for traveling at speeds above 100 miles per hour was only released after one irritated citizen watched the top cop drive into the sunset without as much as a ticket.
Some criminals are let off with a slap on the wrist, but one Arkansas police chief got off with a slap on the wrist for speeding, with responding officers laughing during the traffic stop.
Brinkley Police Department Chief Edward Randle was pulled over by a state trooper who had been called for assistance by a Brinkley police officer. However, any concern the trooper may have had quickly disappeared when he recognized Randle while approaching the truck.
“ Where are you going so fast? ” the trooper asked Randle, chuckling. Randle told the trooper that he was heading to “ the game ,” a football game he was refereeing later that evening, KTHV reported .
When the Brinkley officer approached the vehicle, Randle proceeded to give him a hard time, saying: “I know you didn’t call the state police!” The officer explained that he did not announce the truck’s license plate into the reading, saying, “ I didn’t have your plate, so it didn’t go over. ”
The only time the reason for Randle’s speeding was mentioned in the recording was when the state trooper told him, “ I had you locked in at 107 [miles per hour]. ”
“ It won’t go over 95, ” Randle replied.
Randle continued to defend himself using this argument, telling KTHV that the truck has a governor device on the engine that prevents it from going above 95 miles (153 km) per hour. However, the officer told Randle that he was driving 90 miles (145 km) per hour and was still only trailing Randle.
Randle denied going close to 95 miles per hour, he even denied the trooper’s comment that he had been driving “ 71 (114 km) at the curve. ”
The confrontation ended quickly with all parties going their separate ways after a sum total of 45 seconds. The whole issue would have likely flown under the radar, had it not been for a citizen who witnessed it.
Benjamin Martin was leaving Clarendon, a nearby town, when he noticed the Brinkley police car in Clarendon city limits and pulled over to watch. What he saw troubled him, to say the least.
“ I find it, you know, very disheartening, that anyone, public official or not, would show such blatant disregard for the speed limit, and put the lives of innocent others at risk, ” Martin told KHTV, adding, “ I just feel that no one’s above the law, and you know, if it was me, I would’ve gotten a ticket. ”
Martin continued, “ As a chief of police, and as a law enforcement officer, you’re sworn to protect and serve, which is the opposite of putting the lives of others at risk. ”
However, Randle feels differently and claimed that after nearly three decades in law enforcement, he knows better than to put others at risk with dangerous driving. Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
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McALLEN, Texas — A story wildly circulated by Mexican news outlets about a woman having her visa taken away because she had memes making fun of U. S. President Donald J. Trump has been deemed false by U. S. authorities. [The story began when Mexican media celebrity Denise Maerker reported on her show Atando Cabos that a woman in one of the Tijuana border crossings had her visa taken away by an immigration official because she had various memes making fun of Trump. Maerker took to Twitter to comment on the story and credited a journalist by the name Rocio Galvan. Various news outlets like Radio Formula, El 5inco, El Mañana, and others went off Maerker’s tweet to further disseminate the story. The uncertainty caused by the alleged arbitrary measure spread on social media as various individuals began to ask about the case. “There were no such events that occurred within any ports within the San Diego Field Office,” U. S. Customs and Border Protection responded to an inquiry by Breitbart Texas into the stories circulated by Mexican media. Breitbart Texas also requested similar information from ports of entry in Texas, and Arizona and received similar answers. By Friday afternoon, Maerker sent a retraction of sorts in a second tweet and had Galvan back on her show, where they clarified that the woman who had her visa taken away was never told that it was over the Trump memes. According to CBP, officers have the authority to cancel visas if the individual is found to be inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The act lists the grounds for denial of entry into the country including health related reasons, criminality, security, immigration violations and others the act does not list memes or jokes as a reason for canceling denial. The agency further stated that when arriving at a U. S. Port of Entry CBP officers can inspect electronic devices such as computers, cell phones cameras and other items. Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. Brandon Darby is managing director and of Breitbart Texas. He the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. | 1 |
What is going on with WikiLeaks? 28/10/2016 tweet WikiLeaks director and founder of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Gavin MacFadyen has died at age 76. The cause of death is yet unknown. His ‘fellows in arms’ have flocked online to post their farewells, including WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange.
“ We are extremely sad to announce the death of Gavin MacFadyen, CIJ’s Founder, Director and its leading light ,” the Centre for Investigative Journalism team wrote on its Twitter. We are extremely sad to announce the death of Gavin MacFadyen, the CIJ’s Founder, Director and its leading light. http:// tcij.org/gavin-macfadyen
— CIJ (@cijournalism) 10:59 PM – 22 Oct 2016
MacFadyen was a pioneering investigative journalist and filmmaker, who back in 2003 founded the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ), an organization that helped break several major stories and has trained a number of prominent journalists. Gavin Macfadyen was mentor to Assange (and his closest friend in London), to WikiLeaks’ Sarah Harrison, Joseph Farrell and many others.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 4:03 AM – 23 Oct 2016
He was a mentor and friend to famous whistleblower and co-founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange, as well as the director of the publication. Paying tribute to their head, WikiLeaks published a post on the group’s Twitter account saying MacFadyen “ now takes his fists and his fight to battle God .” Gavin Macfadyen, beloved director of WikiLeaks, now takes his fists and his fight to battle God. Sock it to him, forever, Gavin. -JA pic.twitter.com/7zyzs1Qxxk
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 3:33 AM – 23 Oct 2016
The post is signed “ JA ,” indicating that the phrase belongs directly to Julian Assange, with WikiLeaks claiming that, despite the whistleblower being deprived of internet access in his suite in the Ecuadorian embassy for a week now, he has been able to contact them and is “ still in full command. ”
The CIJ team also published an address from MacFadyen’s wife and member of Julian Assange’s Defense Fund, Susan Benn, who described her husband as a “ larger-than-life person, ” with gratitude and respect.
“ He was the model of what a journalist should be… He spearheaded the creation of a journalistic landscape which has irrevocably lifted the bar for ethical and hard-hitting reporting. Gavin worked tirelessly to hold power to account.
“His life and how he lived it were completely in sync with the principles that he held dear and practiced as a journalist and educator – to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, ” Benn wrote .
Recounting her husband’s achievements, she said he had produced and directed more than 50 investigative documentaries covering diverse and multiple countries and problems. She also noted that he had been banned from apartheid South Africa and the Soviet Union for his investigative work, and was also attacked by British Neo-Nazis.
In his professional career, MacFadyen shed light on topics like child labor, pollution, the torture of political prisoners, neo-Nazis in Britain, UK industrial accidents, Contra murders in Nicaragua, the CIA, maritime piracy, election fraud in South America, South African mines, as well as many others. He worked on investigative television programs for PBS’s Frontline, Granada Television’s World in Action, the BBC’s Fine Cut, Panorama, The Money Programme, and 24 Hours, as well as Channel 4’s Dispatches.
The cause of MacFadyen’s death has not yet been made public. In the original post from his wife Susan, she wrote that he had died from “ a short illness, ” but that line has now been removed. Did you know: Gavin Macfadyen was arrested with Bernie Sanders, was a body double for Nick Nolte & was banned from South Africa & the USSR?
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks)
Twitter has been full of tributes from his colleagues and like-minded people. Even the hacktivist organization Anonymous has spoken out. Our deepest condolences Gavin MacFadyen, we’ll never forget your investigative journalism https:// twitter.com/wikileaks/stat us/789878110816702464 …
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) RIP, Gavin Macfadyen. You were larger than life, truly one of a kind. https:// twitter.com/gijn/status/78 9925620784439296 …
— Sheila Coronel (@SheilaCoronel) Gavin MacFadyen, purest and bravest human I’ve ever met. The countless people that love you are with you now, sending u our love and thanks! pic.twitter.com/ypPSn0jrwR
— Matt Kennard (@KennardMatt) We send our loving thoughts to Gavin MacFadyen and his family at this very difficult time. pic.twitter.com/hZKiIlujaA
— The Whistler (@Whistler_News) Gavin MacFadyen, always kind & supportive of young journalists & filmmakers. Can never forget your booming laugh. Thank you my friend. — Kevin Pina (@AcrossMediums) | 0 |
Michael Hayden, the former director of the CIA, has claimed that millennials are more likely to leak information due to “cultural differences. ”[Speaking to the BBC following the publishing of WikiLeaks Vault 7 documents, former CIA director Michael Hayden stated that he believes millennials employed by the American security services are likely to leak classified information due to “cultural differences. ” “I don’t mean to judge them at all, but this group of millennials and related groups simply have different understandings of the words loyalty, secrecy, and transparency than certainly my generation did,” said Hayden speaking to the BBC. “So we bring these folks into the agency — good Americans, all, I assume — but culturally they have different instincts than the people who made the decision to hire them. ” Hayden continued, “We may be running into this different cultural approach that we saw with Chelsea Manning, with Edward Snowden and now, perhaps, with a third actor. ” Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan_ or email him at lnolan@breitbart. com | 1 |
RICHMOND, VA. — Here in the onetime capital of the Confederacy, at the end of the city’s Slave Trail, stands the latest repository for the dream of L. Douglas Wilder. The building, with Greek Doric columns flanking the entrance, was once the home of Richmond’s first Baptist church. For the trailblazing Mr. Wilder, the nation’s first elected governor, it represents the ideal setting for the United States National Slavery Museum, an institution he has struggled to create for nearly two and a half decades. The building is only an hour’s drive from the Fredericksburg site where Mr. Wilder’s first vision for the project, a $100 million museum designed by one of the world’s leading architecture firms, collapsed amid a welter of debt and recriminations. Two years ago, Mr. Wilder announced his latest plan at a news conference at the state Capitol, a more modest proposal, in an existing building in a town he’s long called home and where his government service and star power can still draw admirers. But this museum project appears no closer to reality than the last. The organization’s most recent tax filing, for 2014, reveals contributions of $0. His new site, the former First African Baptist Church, is still owned by Virginia Commonwealth University and houses its department of clinical laboratory services. And just over a away, where a notorious compound known as “The Devil’s Half Acre” stood, a competing slavery museum proposal — championed by this city’s mayor and seeded with $18 million in state and city funding — is barreling toward groundbreaking in the fall of 2017. As the $540 million National Museum of African American History and Culture on the Mall in Washington prepares to open this fall, more attention than ever will be paid to the story of slavery and emancipation that Mr. Wilder has sought to recount and memorialize. But his institution will not be a part of that conversation, its artifacts in storage, its allies dwindling and its prospects approaching quixotic. Mr. Wilder, still prickly and proud at 85, remains undaunted. He declined to comment for this article, but in a memoir published last year, he said he’s optimistic his museum could be ready by 2019, the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves arriving in Jamestown. “My struggle has constantly been referred to as a ‘personal crusade,’ implying that it is something I would benefit from in some way,” Mr. Wilder wrote in “Son of Virginia: A Life in America’s Political Arena. ” “Combating that assumption is one reason I have persisted. This is not a personal crusade but a national necessity. ” And the grit of this grandson of slaves, who served in Korea but still had to leave Virginia to find a law school that would admit him, has long been acknowledged. “Governor Wilder has always struck me as a man of great determination and persistence,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg. “For him to accomplish what he did, starting in the days of Jim Crow, is an extraordinary accomplishment. And sometimes persistent, determined politicians need to remain persistent and determined to get their initiatives to come to fruition. ” The inspiration for a slavery museum came to Mr. Wilder during a trade mission to Africa he took as governor of Virginia in the early 1990s. In Senegal, he toured the slave houses and, as he recounts in his memoir, “saw how human beings were stuffed into bins, inspected and priced like products, branded like cattle, and packed into the holds of ships. ” “I returned from Africa,” he added, “with a single thought burning in my mind: We had to tell the story and keep our history alive as a charge of eternal vigilance. ” Last decade, he appeared close to realizing his vision. The museum project was given 38 acres by a developer to use as part of a “Celebrate Virginia” tourism and shopping complex in Fredericksburg. The architect C. C. Pei, a son of I. M. Pei, designed a modernist building, its two halves connected by an atrium in which a replica of a slave ship was to be hung. Bill Cosby donated $1. 2 million. Companies like Philip Morris USA and the Wachovia Corporation pledged sums. By 2011, though, the museum, strapped for funds to pay city real estate taxes, filed for bankruptcy. Some people who had donated their treasured artifacts demanded them back. The land where the museum was supposed to rise was sold last year. A mix of bafflement and bad feelings still resides in Fredericksburg. “The first inkling I had that something wasn’t right was when Wilder came and met with the Fredericksburg City Council in a closed session,” in 2001, said the city’s mayor at the time, Bill Beck. “He was obviously sincere about the issue and the subject matter. But it struck me that for a guy who’d been talking about a museum at that point for a number of years he really hadn’t given much thought to how a museum operates and what a museum is. ” Mr. Wilder first told the council his museum would cover a period of history that ended with the Civil War, Mr. Beck said. Then, a few minutes later, he suggested that the museum should take the story through the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. Mr. Beck said that he was frustrated by the lack of transparency and professionalism surrounding the project. He said the council, for example, learned the museum might be coming to Fredericksburg only when Mr. Wilder broke the news at a gathering of slave descendants at Montpelier, the estate of James Madison. “He never did any of the things you would do in terms of starting a museum,” he said. Mr. Beck, an antiques dealer, said he was not impressed by items from the collection displayed at a local university in 2004 and didn’t think the museum had hired enough professionals to staff such an ambitious venture. “He never did anything practical,” he said. “It was all show. ” In his memoir, Mr. Wilder writes that he’s at a loss “to fully explain why the project got so badly bogged down. ” Several possible culprits are cited: the city’s refusal to grant the museum status competition from other museums, including the Smithsonian’s museum a deep recession. But foremost, Mr. Wilder said he felt the location was all wrong. Fredericksburg, he wrote in his memoir, was “off the beaten track for tourism. ” Mr. Beck, told of that explanation, tried, but failed, to suppress a chuckle. A significant Civil War battle was fought in Fredericksburg, and George Washington’s boyhood home is just across the river. “We’re not Rockefeller Center,” he said, “but that’s really kind of silly. ” Mr. Wilder has maintained that Richmond was always his first choice for the museum and that he’s learned from previous missteps. “The vision that we had in Fredericksburg was grandiose,” Mr. Wilder said in 2014. “That’s not going to be the case here. The building is built, and it would fit the needs of the museum. ” Except that some of the problems from Fredericksburg — communication breakdowns with local officials, for example — have resurfaced in Richmond. The building, the former First African Baptist Church, holds deep significance for Mr. Wilder. As a child, he attended Sunday school there, and both his father and grandfather were deacons and trustees. Yet its owner, V. C. U. — where the School of Government and Public Affairs is named after Mr. Wilder and where he teaches — was caught off guard by his formal announcement. Although Mr. Wilder had casually mentioned the idea to the university’s president over lunch a week before the news conference, the university said no commitment was given. More than two years later, little has changed. In a statement, V. C. U. acknowledged Mr. Wilder’s interest and noted that state funding had come through for a new building for the School of Allied Health Professions that would allow the school to vacate the former church. But, the statement continued, “a number of details about construction of the new building and relocation of the offices will need to be worked out before we can continue the conversation about the slavery museum proposal. ” Talks with the city — which controls the state funding for a heritage site — have been nonexistent. “I have not heard from anyone about any new ideas for another museum,” Mayor Dwight C. Jones said. Mr. Jones talks emotionally about the historical imperative of building a slavery museum in a city replete with Confederate monuments. But he and others favor not the church but a new museum and pavilion on the site of what was once Lumpkin’s Jail, where slaves were held in horrific conditions before being sold at auction. During the height of the interstate slave trade, when Richmond trailed only New Orleans in sales, Lumpkin’s was arguably the most infamous slave jail in the center of the city’s chattel business. After the Civil War, Robert Lumpkin’s widow, a former slave named Mary, leased the property to a Baptist minister seeking to build a seminary for freed slaves. It eventually became Virginia Union University. What had been known as “The Devil’s Half Acre” had become “God’s Half Acre. ” “You had enslavement you had emancipation then education and enlightenment,” said Delores L. McQuinn, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and chairwoman of the Richmond Slave Trail Commission. Ms. McQuinn, a champion of the jail site, recalled bumping into Mr. Wilder several years ago during a ceremony to unveil plaques honoring who served Virginia during Reconstruction. “I said to him at the time: ‘You’re looking for a museum, and we’re working toward that. Is it something we could join forces to do? ’” Ms. McQuinn said. “He said he’d get back with me. I have not heard anything from him. ” And it’s difficult to imagine much good will between those behind the two projects since Mr. Wilder, who served as mayor before Mr. Jones, publicly lambasted his successor and his administration earlier this year. Mr. Jones did not answer directly when asked if Mr. Wilder’s criticism made cooperation more difficult, saying only, “We have the money, we have the site, and what we’re doing is going to happen. ” The city’s plans for the jail site are underway. Architectural and engineering contracts will be awarded soon, and the groundbreaking is projected for next year. Mr. Jones controls $10 million committed by the state and another $8 million from the city for the project. It’s unclear how much money Mr. Wilder’s museum organization has at this point. The museum was able to sell the land in Fredericksburg last year for $400, 000. The math and the politics do not look promising for Mr. Wilder. “The city’s project seems to be on a firmer financial footing, and that will be decisive in all likelihood,” said Mr. Farnsworth, the professor. “And I’m not sure that two separate visions for the same project can both be constructed. ” Still, Mr. Farnsworth doesn’t count out the tenacious Mr. Wilder from securing a role in whatever slavery museum does get built in Richmond. A rambunctious mayoral election is underway. The incumbent, Mr. Jones, is bumping up against term limits. Eight candidates are vying to succeed him. At least one is considered an ally of Mr. Wilder, who recently helped organize and moderate a mayoral forum. Yes, L. Douglas Wilder’s embrace may not carry as much weight as it did when he was governor or Richmond mayor. But he is still L. Douglas Wilder, still a Virginia institution, and he does not go down easy. | 1 |
The count is underway for the 2017 Dutch general elections, with 388 voting areas to declare. [The election is seen as one of the most important in recent Dutch history as migration candidate Geert Wilders hopes to build on the momentum of the Brexit and Trump campaigns. The story so far: At 6:30 am CET, the people of the Netherlands officially began to cast ballots in the national election which is expected to have a much larger turnout than in previous years. But election day has not been without controversy. The Netherlands votes today in what could be a historic election as migration candidate Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) look to make record gains in the Dutch parliament. Polls opened at 6:30 am local time and already Wilders, Prime Minister Rutte, and several other politicians have cast their vote. While the voting has been mostly without incident, there has been one controversial moment during election day. Reports came out that a polling station within a Turkish Islamic cultural centre in Amsterdam had hung up Turkish flags and was broadcasting Turkish radio as members of the public went to cast their vote. According to Dutch newspaper Telegraaf, the municipal authorities were made aware of the incident and went to the centre to make sure the flags and other items including leaflets for Diyanet, the Turkish government agency in charge of religion, were removed from the polling area. “Campaign expressions are not allowed in the polling station. We have sent someone there to correct it,” a spokesman from the municipality told the paper. The controversy comes only days after Turkey and the Netherlands engaged in a large diplomatic row after the Netherlands banned two Turkish ministers from campaigning for a referendum to allow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to abolish the office of prime minister. #ikstem Stemmen in een Turkse moskee onder Turkse vlaggen, met de Turkse radio op de achtergrond en Diyanet folders op de tafels verspreid. pic. twitter. — Elise Steilberg (@EliseSteilberg) March 15, 2017, Wilders said ahead of the voting this morning: “I feel very optimistic. We want to take out country back. ” After casting his vote at around 9:30 am local time, Wilders remarked: “Whatever the outcome of the election today the genie will not go back into the bottle and this patriotic revolution, whether today or tomorrow, will take place. ” Turnout for the election is expected to be over 80 per cent, and potentially as high as 85 per cent. This would easily surpass 2012’s national election in which 74. 6 per cent of eligible voters participated. The increased demand has led to reports that some districts have even run out of ballot papers. Netherlands: Turnout today to surpass 80% maybe even 85% (2012: 74. 6%). Media reports some station have run out of ballots. #DutchElection pic. twitter. — Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) March 15, 2017, Some areas have even reported turnouts of up to 100 per cent. Netherlands: Turnout in some polling stations hits 100% e. g. Campus Wageningen University. #DutchElection #tweedekamerverkiezingen, — Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) March 15, 2017, This election sees one of the largest numbers of parties participating ever in Dutch national elections with 28 different parties on the ballot with 15 potentially getting seats in the parliament. The main rivalry has, however, come down to the party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the PVV of Geert Wilders. The two party leaders engaged in a debate on Monday evening with Wilders slamming Rutte, calling him a “prime minister for foreigners”. He called on the Dutch to vote for his party which looks to combat Islamisation by closing all mosques in the country and banning the Quran. | 1 |
October 29, 2016
To most men, it is a simple daily routine that they barely think of. Spraying fresh white foam over their face and taking it off with a 28-blade razor – how utterly ordinary.
But for Omar, an intelligent, fit, and attractive 22-year-old young man, shaving off his beard is a remarkable act of freedom. Because Omar has been living under one of the most oppressive regimes the world has ever seen. At last, that regime is on the verge of being broken and Hoxton will soon be free of the Hipster State.
As the forces of reason, justice and sanity close in on Hoxton, Dalston and trendy Whitechapel, Omar is one of the first young people to benefit.
“It has been hell,” he said. “The hipsters began moving in during the 80s on a wave of Acid Jazz and beer with lemons in the neck of the bottle. Of course, I was not even born then. But by the time I was, Hoxton was drowning in hipsters with their artisan small furniture manufacturers, silk-screened candle warehouses and eventually, internet start-ups.”
Omar was terrified of the fashion police, who beat up one of his friends for wearing the wrong shade of burgundy retro Farahs. So like everyone else in the area, he grew a beard. Omar was only nine at the time: he has suffered 13 years of facial hair, Adidas Stan Smith trainers and feigning an interest in stunt kites. “It has been hell,” he said.
But the first signs of liberation arrived with a girl bravely walking through the streets without a tattoo. She was dragged away and quickly inked with an image of the logo from Moog synthesisers. But soon more followed her, bravely flaunting their unadorned skins. Known as “cleans”, they were at the vanguard of the forces of sanity. Then Greggs opened a branch in Hoxton High Street and more normal people arrived to eat its hand-finished non-craft pies. The final straw was a pub which didn’t have a trendy name and did not brew its own beer. Faced with the uncowered march of normality, hipsterism began to capitulate.
While there is still a bearded rump of diehards, they are being rounded up and shot or made to become drones at Amazon’s HQ, and trendy East London is on the way to becoming an ordinary part of the world once more. Immacagain | 0 |
Are Native Americans Part of the Ten Lost Tribes of the Jewish People? Oct 28, 2016 Previous post
“Therefore was the name of it called Bavel; because Hashem did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did Hashem scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:9 (The Israel Bible™)
When Europeans first glimpsed Native Americans more than 400 years ago, many were convinced they had discovered the Lost Tribes of Israel. At closer look, the connections are astounding. This hidden association has taken on greater importance recently as the two nations face similar threats, and perhaps even a common Messianic vision quest.
Unmistakable traces of Jewish prayer echo in the voice of Joseph Riverwind , the Amahura (war chief) of the Northern Arawak Nation, the indigenous peoples of South America and Caribbean, as he sings, “Shema, shema, nayena, popaska hoya yah”. He translated this ancient Native American song for Breaking Israel News :
“Listen, listen, people, as you gather together, we will dance before the creator.” This is strongly reminiscent of the Jewish
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BLM Rapper & Bill’s Alleged Son Have Nasty Surprise For Hillary Posted on October 31, 2016 by Rebecca Diserio in Politics Share This
It looks like when it rains, it pours, and Hillary Clinton is now facing a big problem with Black Lives Matter. It all stems from an alleged affair Bill Clinton had with a black Arkansas prostitute, which produced a son. Now, after years of trying to find out the truth about his biological father, the rumored son’s cause is being taken up by a black rapper, and they have a really bad surprise for Hillary. Rapper “Freenauts” wears “Hillary for Prison” t-shirt while performing rap song “Justice For Danney Williams”
The BLM rapper “Freenauts,” wearing a “Hillary for Prison” t-shirt, put out a video, performing his rap song “Justice for Danney Williams,” referring to Bill Clinton’s alleged lovechild. The video has just over 100,000 views, but now that it is the last week before the election, Donald Trump supporters, as well as Black Lives Matter supporters, are posting it all over social media.
The plight of Arkansas resident Danney Williams has been around for years, and in the past, Hillary’s henchmen put out disinformation to the press to make it seem as if Williams claims had been proven false.
In fact, Danney Williams has never had a DNA test, and many in the media are now realizing that not only does Williams resemble Clinton but his story rings true. Up until Bill Clinton became president, Williams recalls with great detail the Christmas presents Arkansas troopers would bring to his house from then-Governor Bill Clinton. Growing up, Williams was told by his mother and even his teachers that he was Bill Clinton’s son. Rapper “Freenauts” artwork for his song “Justice For Danney Williams” (left), Bill Clinton & Danney Williams (right)
With Hillary taking a hit this week, she can’t afford to lose any of her support from minorities, especially the African-American community. Unfortunately for her, it looks like that may happen after WND made this announcement from Williams:
Danney Williams, the man from Little Rock, Arkansas, who has claimed since the 1990s to be the black illegitimate son of former President Bill Clinton, will hold a press conference Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to make an announcement his supporters characterize as a “bombshell that will rock Hillary’s campaign.”
On October 19, WND reported that lawyers representing Williams, in the hours before the third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas, announced their intention to file a paternity suit demanding DNA evidence from the former president.
It looks like Hillary may be in for a drop in support by African-Americans after Williams describes her as the mean woman who chased his mother away from the Governor’s mansion when he was only a few years old. It may be a day of reckoning for Hillary as everything that can go wrong is all happening at once, and we couldn’t be happier. May Hillary get everything she deserves and then some. | 0 |
A disturbing trend has emerged in India where call centers have cropped up for the sole purpose of scamming Americans out of money, The New York Times reports. [The scheme is simple: impersonate an Internal Revenue Service employee, threaten Americans with penalties, and demand immediate payment for back taxes. The United States has been tracking this scheme from India since 2013, a period of time where Americans lost $100 million to scammers, with many of the victims being recent immigrants, according to a New York Times article from October. Suhel Daud, an F. B. I. agent who serves as assistant legal attaché at the embassy in New Delhi, said India is now seen as a major center for cyberfraud. Daud said several factors have contributed to this rise in cyberfraud cases: an increase in young, job seekers, a culture, technology, and ingenuity. Some of these young, job seekers include boys like Pawan Poojary and Jayesh Dubey, both college who got jobs at a call center in a suburb outside of Mumbai making about 16, 000 rupees ($230) “but the bonuses were double or triple that, based on sales. ” “At that time, in my mind is that I want money,” Poojary, 18, said. “That’s it. I want money. That’s why. ” But Poojary felt guilty when a woman on the line “begged him to give her a little time” before sending the money, and his supervisor told him to push harder, so he called the IRS in the U. S. to report information about a crime. Poojary was connected to Betsy Broder, the Federal Trade Commission’s counsel for international consumer protection. “He was determined,” she said. “The number of times he called me was overwhelming. I would guess that is why he was reaching out to me, because he wanted some form of law enforcement to take it down. ” Eventually, the call center, known as the Mira Road scam, “named for the building’s neighborhood,” got raided by local police. Police arrested 70 senior employees and interviewed and released 630 of the call center workers. Five days later, another call center in Ahmedabad had been raided that had defrauded thousands of Americans. The U. S. Justice Department “released an indictment tracing 1. 8 million calls” to five call centers in Ahmedabad. Since the raids, calls have “dropped 95 percent, according to the Better Business Bureau. ” It is unknown who exactly brought down both operations, but other scams out to defraud Americans have continued. As Poojary and Dubey looked for another job, they got several lucrative offers from other scamming companies looking to defraud Americans, a sign that the call centers looking to scam Americans in India have no signs of slowing. | 1 |
Posted on October 30, 2016 by Pamela Geller
This criminal gang must be thrown out of power on November 8. “Congress: Attorney General Lynch ‘Pleads Fifth’ on Secret Iran ‘Ransom’ Payments,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon , October 28, 2016:
Attorney General Loretta Lynch is declining to comply with an investigation by leading members of Congress about the Obama administration’s secret efforts to send Iran $1.7 billion in cash earlier this year, prompting accusations that Lynch has “pleaded the Fifth” Amendment to avoid incriminating herself over these payments, according to lawmakers and communications exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon .
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.) initially presented Lynch in October with a series of questions about how the cash payment to Iran was approved and delivered.
In an Oct. 24 response , Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik responded on Lynch’s behalf, refusing to answer the questions and informing the lawmakers that they are barred from publicly disclosing any details about the cash payment, which was bound up in a ransom deal aimed at freeing several American hostages from Iran.
The response from the attorney general’s office is “unacceptable” and provides evidence that Lynch has chosen to “essentially plead the fifth and refuse to respond to inquiries regarding [her] role in providing cash to the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism,” Rubio and Pompeo wrote on Friday in a follow-up letter to Lynch, according to a copy obtained by the Free Beacon .
The inquiry launched by the lawmakers is just one of several concurrent ongoing congressional probes aimed at unearthing a full accounting of the administration’s secret negotiations with Iran.
“It is frankly unacceptable that your department refuses to answer straightforward questions from the people’s elected representatives in Congress about an important national security issue,” the lawmakers wrote. “Your staff failed to address any of our questions, and instead provided a copy of public testimony and a lecture about the sensitivity of information associated with this issue.”
“As the United States’ chief law enforcement officer, it is outrageous that you would essentially plead the fifth and refuse to respond to inquiries,” they stated. “The actions of your department come at time when Iran continues to hold Americans hostage and unjustly sentence them to prison.”
The lawmakers included a copy of their previous 13 questions and are requesting that Lynch provide answers by Nov. 4.
When asked about Lynch’s efforts to avoid answering questions about the cash payment, Pompeo told the Free Beacon that the Obama administration has blocked Congress at every turn as lawmakers attempt to investigate the payments to Iran.
“Who knew that simple questions regarding Attorney General Lynch’s approval of billions of dollars in payments to Iran could be so controversial that she would refuse to answer them?” Pompeo said. “This has become the Obama administration’s coping mechanism for anything related to the Islamic Republic of Iran—hide information, obfuscate details, and deny answers to Congress and the American people.”
“They know this isn’t a sustainable strategy, however, and I trust they will start to take their professional, and moral, obligations seriously,” the lawmaker added….
Courtesy of Pamela Geller | 0 |
Taming the corporate media beast BRICS Countries to Invest $500 Million in Russian Gold Deposit
A new agreement to restart exploration and extraction at a mine in Siberia marks a milestone in the development of economic ties among the BRICS nations. Originally appeared at RBTH
A consortium made up of the Chinese state-owned mining firm China National Gold Corporation, India’s SUN Mining Group and the Russian Far East Development Fund, as well as funds from South Africa and Brazil is prepared to invest up to $500 million in the development of the Klyuchevskoye gold field in the Transbaikal region (over 4,000 miles east of Moscow). The agreement was signed during the most recent BRICS summit, which that took place in the Indian resort of Goa on Oct. 15-16. According to plans for the site, Klyuchevskoye will become operational three years after investment becomes available and will yield some 6.5 tons of gold per year.
This is the first mining deal in the history of BRICS that involves all five member states, which makes it particularly significant, says Wiktor Bielski, global head of commodities research at VTB Capital. Bielski adds that the agreement paves the way for bigger projects in the future that can benefit a wide range of BRICS investors.
Benefits for the partners
The Klyuchevskoye gold deposit was explored a long time ago, however, the bulk of the gold was not extracted because of the costly development process that was halted some 20 years back, according to Alexei Kalachev, an expert analyst with FINAM investment firm in Moscow. The China National Gold Corporation, however, has the relevant technological experience to extract and process the gold, Kalachev said.
The deposit is currently owned by India’s SUN Gold, Ltd., part of the SUN Mining Group, which has not begun to develop it. In August 2016, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service said that the China National Gold Group intended to buy 70 percent in the deposit from SUN Gold. According to Kalachev, the idea of a consortium may have evolved from an attempt to speed up the deal at the highest levels.
The Klyuchevskoye gold deposit is not especially rich; at its stated production volumes and reserves, it will have a life cycle of 11-12 years, while the average life cycle of gold mines worldwide is 15-16 years, says Artem Kalinin, a portfolio manager at Leon Family Office. Additionally, the cost of production at Klyuchevskoye is being forecast at the average global level. “That said, the Chinese are used to operating in this mode: the country’s steel and coal industries have very weak production costs, but they have so far been feeling quite alright thanks to cheap financing and state support,” Kalinin said.
Russian gold mining companies are currently not taking part in developing Klyuchevskoye, but according to Kalinin, Russia stands to gain regardless of who develops the site. “The Russians will get an opportunity to borrow new technologies and to get an infrastructure that the Chinese will build,” he said.
Alexei Kalachev notes that other obvious upsides for Russia include a rise in tax revenues, new jobs and an inflow of foreign investment.
What’s in it for China?
Despite the fact that China is the world’s leader in gold mining and one of the world’s largest consumers of the precious metal, its resource base is rather weak, says Kalinin. The CIS countries host the majority of the world’s gold reserves — 28 percent. Another 20 percent of the reserves are located in North America while Asian reserves make up just 11 percent.
Oleg Remyga, head of China studies at the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo, notes that China’s gold production is falling — it was down 0.4 percent in 2015 — while consumption is rising — up + 3.7 percent in 2015. “Hence, the clear ambition of Chinese companies to enter international markets,” Remyga explained.
According to Remyga, the China National Gold Group’s investment in the Klyuchevskoye deposit is part of this bigger drive for resources. Chinese companies have already purchased shares in Canada’s Pinnacle Mines, Ltd. as well as 50 percent of shares in a deposit in Papua New Guinea owned by Barrick Gold Corp. “I am convinced that it is just the beginning of acquisitions of Russian gold-mining assets by Chinese companies, such as Zijin Mining, China Gold, Zhaojin Mining Industry, and Shandong Gold,” Remyga said, adding that negotiations with them have been going on already for five years. | 0 |
The Los Angeles Times — which did its best, it admits, to ensure that President Donald Trump would not be elected — has printed a strident, and nearly hysterical, editorial in which it calls the Trump presidency a “train wreck. ”[Among other things, the Times states: It was no secret during the campaign that Donald Trump was a narcissist and a demagogue who used fear and dishonesty to appeal to the worst in American voters. The Times called him unprepared and unsuited for the job he was seeking, and said his election would be a “catastrophe. ” Still, nothing prepared us for the magnitude of this train wreck. … In a matter of weeks, President Trump has taken dozens of steps that, if they are not reversed, will rip families apart, foul rivers and pollute the air, intensify the calamitous effects of climate change and profoundly weaken the system of American public education for all. … What is most worrisome about Trump is Trump himself. He is a man so unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant, so full of blind so untethered to reality that it is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation. His obsession with his own fame, wealth and success, his determination to vanquish enemies real and imagined, his craving for adulation — these traits were, of course, at the very heart of his outsider campaign indeed, some of them helped get him elected. But in a real presidency in which he wields unimaginable power, they are nothing short of disastrous. The editorial comes just days after Trump’s “unimaginable power” proved unable to force through a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. There were few, if any, Times editorials criticizing President Barack Obama’s narcissism and expansion of executive powers (after promising to curtail the same). Read the whole editorial here. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak. | 1 |
Three months before the November election, voters in New Hampshire, long one of the purple swing states in presidential elections, clearly favor Hillary Clinton over Donald J. Trump, according to a new poll. And another poll shows Mrs. Clinton holding a narrower lead in Florida. New Hampshire voters who either prefer or lean toward Mrs. Clinton outnumber those who prefer or lean toward Mr. Trump by 47 percent to 32 percent, according to the poll, conducted for WBUR, an NPR station in Boston, by the MassInc Polling Group. Gary Johnson, a Libertarian, was favored by 8 percent. Mrs. Clinton’s standing represents a remarkable turnaround for a candidate who lost New Hampshire’s Democratic primary in February. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont clobbered her, 60 percent to 38 percent. But against Mr. Trump, Mrs. Clinton does much better. While 48 percent say she is fit to be president, only 31 percent say that of Mr. Trump. Nationally, according to a new Fox News poll, Mrs. Clinton holds a lead over Mr. Trump. Still, even in New Hampshire, it is not all smooth sailing for her: 46 percent of voters there say Mrs. Clinton is not fit to be president, and 29 percent think she should be sent to prison for her use of a personal email server while she was secretary of state. But 56 percent of New Hampshire voters say she came out of her convention a stronger candidate, and only 39 percent said the same of Mr. Trump. Perhaps most important, 63 percent say Mr. Trump is not fit to be president. The survey, of 609 likely voters, was conducted from July 29 to Aug. 1 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points. Mrs. Clinton is also leading at this juncture in Florida, a major swing state that would be crucial to any Trump strategy for winning nationwide. Mrs. Clinton leads Mr. Trump in Florida by six percentage points, 48 percent to 42 percent, according to a poll released Thursday by Suffolk University in Boston. In a race, her lead narrows to 43 percent over 39 percent for Mr. Trump Mr. Johnson wins 4 percent of the vote, and Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee, wins 3 percent. | 1 |
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the .) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. Hillary Clinton’s closest aide, Huma Abedin, tried to limit the damage from the latest sexting scandal involving her husband, Anthony Weiner. “After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate,” Ms. Abedin said in a statement. Above, the couple during an earlier scandal. Donald Trump said the episode reflected badly on Mrs. Clinton’s judgment. _____ 2. Mr. Trump’s campaign has alienated at least 110 Republican leaders to the point that they have openly disavowed him. Here’s a timeline of when they reached their breaking point. Democrats in Congress are aiming to capitalize on Mr. Trump’s unpopularity, preparing for a serious challenge to Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate. _____ 3. In memoriam: The beloved comic actor Gene Wilder, 83, died of complications of Alzheimer’s. Generations knew him from the children’s film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” above, or from the biting Mel Brooks satires “The Producers,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles. ” Mr. Brooks tweeted, “He blessed every film we did with his magic he blessed me with his friendship. ” And, below, Mexico is in mourning for Juan Gabriel, 66, the whose popularly transcended all layers of the country’s stratified society. _____ 4. An overnight fire, started when this vehicle rammed Belgium’s national forensic crime laboratory, severely damaged DNA and other evidence considered crucial to cases involving terrorism. An investigation is underway, but a spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office said, “It goes without saying that several individuals would benefit if elements from their legal cases were destroyed. ” _____ 5. How do terrorists become terrorists? Partly through the efforts of recruiters who channel young people’s personal grievances to make them think they can serve a broader cause. That’s the insight of this American, a remorseful former recruiter for Al Qaeda who is now trying to counter the pull of groups like the Islamic State. “I may never be able to repair the damage that I have done,” he says, “but I think I can at least try. ” _____ 6. Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, both nursing injuries, are the top seeds and favorites at the U. S. Open tennis tournament. Some fans are crossing their fingers for rain, just so they can experience Arthur Ashe Stadium’s new retractable roof. ESPN’s coverage begins at 1 p. m. Eastern daily and switches to ESPN2 at 6 p. m. Or you can stream matches from ESPN. com. _____ 7. A team of scientists aroused debate over what killed Lucy, the 3. human ancestor whose fractured, fossilized remains were found in Ethiopia four decades ago. After CT scans suggested she had suffered various telling fractures, the team concluded she fell from high in a tree, but other scientists say the evidence is not conclusive. _____ 8. More than 730 women showed up at an art gallery in Los Angeles over the weekend for what the organizer said was the most extensive group portrait of artists in the history of Los Angeles. One participant called it “the best reunion ever it really feels like one big family, supportive and not competitive. ” _____ 9. Japan’s government is trying a new way to keep groundwater from becoming contaminated with radioactivity at the devastated Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It’s building an underground wall of ice 100 feet deep and nearly a mile in length, aiming to seal off the damaged reactor buildings with permafrost. _____ 10. Finally, one of our most popular stories today is an essay entitled “Why We Never Die. ” A philosopher, confronting his son’s fear of mortality, notes that many dimensions of our existence — our effect on others, what we make, even the material of our bodies — “persist beyond any biological threshold. ” He concludes that our lives “trace a wake in the world” and are “never simply our own. ” _____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p. m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a. m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a. m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s the Weekend Briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes. com. | 1 |
An advertising blimp at the 2017 US Open golf tournament crashed and caught fire Thursday in Erin, WI. Per Fox 9, the blimp’s pilot, the only person on board, sustained serious burns and injuries from the crash. The Washington County, WI sheriff’s office believes the blimp experienced mechanical problems prior to going down. AirSign tweeted out an update on their pilot, saying he was taken to the hospital and is expected to be fine. Thanks to everyone for your concerns, the blimp pilot is being taken to the hospital but is expected to be ok. No details on cause of crash, — AirSign (@AirSign) June 15, 2017, Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent | 1 |
When Constance Wu landed the part of Jessica Huang, the matriarch on the ABC sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” she didn’t realize just how significant the role would turn out to be. As she developed her part, Ms. Wu heard the same dismal fact repeated over and over again: It had been 20 years since a show featuring a predominantly cast had aired on television. ABC’s previous offering, the 1994 Margaret Cho vehicle “ Girl,” was canceled after one season. “I wasn’t really conscious of it until I booked the role,” Ms. Wu said. “I was focused on the task at hand, which was paying my rent. ” The show, which was just renewed for a third season, has granted Ms. Wu a steady job and a new perspective. “It changed me,” Ms. Wu said. After doing a lot of research, she shifted her focus “from to interests. ” In the past year, Ms. Wu and a number of other actors have emerged as fierce advocates for their own visibility — and frank critics of their industry. The issue has crystallized in a word — “whitewashing” — that calls out Hollywood for taking Asian roles and stories and filling them with white actors. On Facebook, Ms. Wu ticked off a list of recent films guilty of the practice and said, “I could go on, and that’s a crying shame, y’all. ” On Twitter, she bit back against Hollywood producers who believe their “lead must be white” and advised the creators of content to “CARE MORE. ” Another tip: “An easy way to avoid tokenism? Have more than one” character of color, she tweeted in March. “Not so hard. ” [ Read reader responses to this article ] It’s never been easy for an actor to get work in Hollywood, let alone take a stand against the people who run the place. But the recent expansion of roles on television has paradoxically ushered in a new generation of actors with just enough star power and job security to speak more freely about Hollywood’s larger failures. And their heightened profile, along with an imaginative, social media army, has managed to push the issue of representation — long relegated to the back burner — into the current heated debate about Hollywood’s monotone vision of the world. “The harsh reality of being an actor is that it’s hard to make a living, and that puts actors of color in a very difficult position,” said Daniel Dae Kim, who stars in “Hawaii ” on CBS and is currently appearing in “The King and I” on Broadway. Mr. Kim has wielded his Twitter account to point to dire statistics and boost creators. Last year, he posted a cheeky tribute to “the only Asian face” he could find in the entire “Lord of the Rings” series, a woman who “appears for a glorious three seconds. ” Other actors lending their voices include Kumail Nanjiani of “Silicon Valley,” Wen of “Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D. ” and Aziz Ansari, who in his show, “Master of None,” plays an actor trying to make his mark. They join longtime actors and activists like BD Wong of “Gotham” Margaret Cho, who has taken her tart comedic commentary to Twitter and George Takei, who has leveraged his “Star Trek” fame into a social media juggernaut. “There’s an stereotypical notion that people don’t speak up,” Mr. Wong said. But “we’re really getting into people’s faces about it. ” This past year has proved to be a particularly fraught period for representation in movies. Last May, Sony released “Aloha,” a film set in Hawaii that was packed with white actors, including the Emma Stone as a Hawaiian fighter pilot named Allison Ng. In September, it was revealed that in the planned adaptation of the Japanese manga series Death Note, the hero, a boy with dark powers named Light Yagami, would be renamed simply Light and played by the white actor Nat Wolff. In “The Martian,” released in October, the white actress Mackenzie Davis stepped into the role of the NASA employee Mindy Park, who was conceived in the novel as . The list goes on. In December, set photographs from the coming “Absolutely Fabulous” film showed the Scottish actress Janette Tough dressed as an Asian character. Last month, Marvel Studios released a trailer for “Doctor Strange,” in which a character that had originated in comic books as a Tibetan monk was reimagined as a Celtic mystic played by Tilda Swinton. And in the American film adaptation of the manga series Ghost in the Shell, scheduled for next year, the lead character, Major Motoko Kusanagi, will be called Major and played by Scarlett Johansson in a black bob. Studios say that their films are diverse. “Like other Marvel films, several characters in ‘Doctor Strange’ are significant departures from the source material, not limited by race, gender or ethnicity,” the Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in a statement. Ms. Swinton will play a character that was originally male, and Chiwetel Ejiofor a character that was originally white. Paramount and DreamWorks, the studios behind “Ghost in the Shell,” said that the film reflects “a diverse array of cultures and countries. ” But many actors aren’t convinced. “It’s all so plainly outlandish,” Mr. Takei said. “It’s getting to the point where it’s almost laughable. ” The Academy Awards telecast in February added insult to injury. The show dwelled on the diversity complaints aired through #OscarsSoWhite, yet blithely mocked with punch lines that banked on Asian stereotypes. The host, Chris Rock, brought three children onstage to serve as a sight gag in a joke made at their expense. “I have never seen the community get so organized so quickly,” said Janet Yang, a producer who serves as a liaison between Hollywood and Chinese studios. She added, “It was the final straw. ” Within days, Ms. Yang and 24 other Academy members, including the actress Sandra Oh, the director Ang Lee and Mr. Takei, signed a letter to the academy taking it to task for the telecast’s offensive jokes. The academy’s terse reply only stoked the flames. Mr. Takei called it “a bland, corporate response. ” Online, even more actors and activists have spoken out with raw, unapologetic anger. Ms. Wen castigated “Ghost in the Shell,” tweeting about “whitewashing” and throwing in a dismissive emoji. Mr. Takei went off on “Doctor Strange” on his Facebook page: “Hollywood has been casting white actors in Asian roles for decades now, and we can’t keep pretending there isn’t something deeper at work here. ” Mr. Nanjiani jumped on Twitter to call out the red carpet photographer who told him, “Smile, you’re in America now. ” (“I know when someone is racist, the fault is theirs and not yours,” he wrote. “But, in the moment, it makes you feel flattened, reduced and bullied. ”) And Ms. Cho helped start a hashtag campaign, #whitewashedOUT. “It’s intense,” Ms. Cho posted at the height of the action. “It’s that we have been invisible for so long we don’t even know what we can do. ” Meanwhile, television shows — competing for fresh content and audiences as the number of scripted series has increased dramatically in recent years — have helped expand the boundaries of what was once thought possible. increasingly play leads and love interests and star in multiple family sitcoms. Following “Fresh Off the Boat,” ABC debuted the sitcom “Dr. Ken,” featuring an family led by the show’s creator, Ken Jeong, plus the drama “Quantico” starring the Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra. On CW’s “Crazy ” Rachel Bloom, as the title character, pines after the hunky Vincent Rodriguez III, who is . They join such as Mindy Kaling, creator and star of “The Mindy Project,” and Lucy Liu, who plays a reimagined Dr. Watson in “Elementary. ” These shows help, but the issue is pervasive, including on TV. “The mainstream Hollywood thinking still seems to be that movies and stories about straight white people are universal, and that anyone else is more niche,” Mr. Ansari wrote in an email. “It’s just not true. I’ve been watching characters with problems since I was a small Indian boy. ” In films, a few roles have transcended stereotypes: Mr. Takei in the first “Star Trek” installments, Ms. Liu in the “Charlie’s Angels” features, and John Cho and Kal Penn in the stoner hit “Harold Kumar Go to White Castle” and its sequels. And more are in development: a film adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel “Crazy Rich Asians” is underway, and the actress Kelly Marie Tran will play a major role in the next “Star Wars” installment. But mostly, are invisible. Though they make up 5. 4 percent of the United States population, more than half of film, television and streaming properties feature zero named or speaking Asian characters, a February report from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California found. Only 1. 4 percent of lead characters in a sample of studio films released in 2014 were Asian. For actors, the dearth of opportunities compounds itself. “An Asian person who is competing against white people, for an audience of white people, has to train for that opportunity like it’s the Olympics,” Ms. Wu said. “An incredibly talented Asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That’s a highly pressured situation. ” So some are stepping behind the camera. In addition to actors creating their own shows, like Ms. Kaling, Mr. Jeong and Mr. Ansari, Mr. Kim of “Hawaii ” has started his own production company, 3AD, “to help tell the stories of the underrepresented,” he said. and other minority actors, he added, are “tired of waiting to be hired for the roles Hollywood creates for us. ” Audiences, too, are catching up. “There was a time when this conversation was completely foreign to people,” Mr. Wong said. Now young participants “are already fully versed in the issues and able to discuss them with great passion. ” Ellen Oh, a writer for young adults who devised the #whitewashedOUT hashtag, credited a generational shift. “For a long time, Asians have been defined by the immigrant experience, but now and are finding their own voices,” Ms. Oh said. They’re also employing a new vocabulary. “The term ‘whitewashing’ is new, and it’s extremely useful,” Mr. Wong said. In contrast to “yellowface,” which protested the practice of white actors using makeup and prosthetics to play Asians, “whitewashing” gives voice to the of prominent roles. And the Internet has allowed people to imagine a parallel universe where dominate the screen. Earlier this month, disappointed fans of the “Ghost in the Shell” franchise took a publicity still of Ms. Johansson in the lead role and Photoshopped in the face of Rinko Kikuchi, the Japanese star of “Pacific Rim. ” Recently the hashtag #StarringJohnCho went viral, reimagining the star as the lead of and action flicks. Though Mr. Cho has followed up the “Harold and Kumar” films with a role in the “Star Trek” franchise, he hasn’t been afforded the luminous leads offered to white actors with similar starts, like Seth Rogen after “Knocked Up” or Chris Pratt “Guardians of the Galaxy. ” “As I was Photoshopping John Cho’s face on top of Tom Cruise’s in the ‘Mission Impossible’ poster, my friends and I started chuckling a little bit, like, ‘How crazy would that be? ’” said William Yu, the who created the hashtag. “Then I caught myself. Why should it be crazy?” The campaign was followed by #StarringConstanceWu, which Photoshopped the actress into posters for films starring Emily Blunt, Drew Barrymore and, ahem, Emma Stone. The activist outpouring is “a tidal wave,” said Keith Chow, the founder of The Nerds of Color, a website of geek culture criticism that has served as home base for several online campaigns. It has swept up some members of white Hollywood in its wake. Ms. Stone has acknowledged that her “Aloha” role made her the “butt of many jokes. ” And this month, the director of “Doctor Strange,” Scott Derrickson, tweeted, “Raw from over Hollywood whitewashing, stereotyping erasure of Asians in cinema. I am listening and learning. ” Whether that translates into change onscreen is an open question. “Everyone seems to be becoming slowly aware of how overwhelmingly white everything is,” Mr. Ansari said. “It’s almost like the whole system is slowly being shamed into diversity, but it’s moving at a snail’s pace. ” He added: “Just look at the movie posters you see. It’s all white people. ” | 1 |
Here's something interesting from The Unz Review... Recipient Name Recipient Email =>
Dear Mexican: I found your column about Mexican men and spousal abuse, and my question is: Is there any help for this ever ending? I’ve been with a Mexican man, who is also an abuser of alcohol, although it has slimmed down some. He gets angry out of the blue and starts hitting on me and later realizes what he has done and cries. I had to leave him for my protection, but the feelings between us remain, and I don’t know what to do with the situation. Can you provide any comments or help?
Abusada
Dear Abused: Get out of that relationship—now. But before you leave, coat that pendejo ’s toilet paper with habanero powder, so he gets the burn in the culo he deserves.
How do Mexicans feel about environmental issues? Specifically, a population explosion that will cause eventual food shortages? I am told that procreation is a very macho thing for the Mexican male. You have even mentioned in the past that men do not perform oral sex on women because it’s not important when having children. How does that way of thinking weigh in with regard to the future of the planet?
El Blanco Pedro
Dear Pedro Gabacho:Malthus called—he wants his crackpot theory back. Besides, the gabacho love of suburbia proved far more toxic to the environment than any 12-child Mexican mom ever did, so vete a la chingada con your faux environmental concern.
OPEN LETTER TO OUR NEW PRESIDENT: Gentle cabrones: as I write this, the Mexican still doesn’t have a feel for whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump (or neither?) will be the next president of the United States (The Mexican has to file his columna a week before actual publication— viva dead-tree journalism). In the interest of not looking more pendejo than usual, I will write three open letters to ensure I get the results right. Enjoy!
TO PRESIDENT HILLARY CLINTON: Congrats on beating that pendejo Trump—you’re now the greatest female savior of Mexicans since the original Santa Sabina, the legendary curandera for which the goth-Mex band was named. But that’s not enough. Do not inherit the title of Deporter-in-Chief from Obama. Realize that the only reason you won is because raza overwhelmingly voted for you—and we want results besides appointments of token vendidos (although do give a cool gig to Congressman Xavier Becerra, a truly down Chicano). Don’t pay attention to all the Know Nothings who insist on enforcement before amnesty. There’s millions of Mexicans who have lived their entire lives in limbo, and it’s your job to save them. And if you do that? We’ll create a new altar to you at Tepeyac.
TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Congrats on beating that pendeja Killary—you’re now the greatest unifier of Mexicans since Porfirio Diaz. Don’t even try to deport 12 million people, or build that nasty, small-handed wall. Back in the day, raza mostly stood meekly as everyone from Presidents Hoover to Roosevelt to Eisenhower to Obama enacted mass deportations—but those were honorable men. You’re not. We will protest, we will resist, we will struggle, we will take over elected offices the way Irish took over Boston. You hear me, President Pendejo ? We ain’t no sleeping giant—we woke, and we’re ready to make your one-term more pitiful than Enrique Peña Nieto. Oh, and #fucktrump.
TO NO RESULTS YET : No mames, America.
Ask the Mexican at [email protected], be his fan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @gustavoarellano or follow him on Instagram @gustavo_arellano! | 0 |
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City, Chicano Park in San Diego, a Native American burial ground in Kansas and the site of the 1970 shootings at Kent State University are among 24 newly designated National Historic Landmarks. The list of new landmarks, announced on Wednesday, comes as the National Park Service, the division of the Department of the Interior that administers the landmarks program, has finished celebrating its 100th anniversary. It reflects an effort to tell what a news release called “a more inclusive and diverse story of America’s history. ” “These 24 new designations depict different threads of the American story that have been told through activism, architecture, music and religious observance,” Sally Jewell, the secretary of the Interior, said in a statement. “Their designation ensures that future generations have the ability to learn from the past. ” The sites, which join a list of more than 2, 500 existing national historic landmarks, may reflect America’s past, but they also might be read as carrying some pointed political lessons for the future. They include the homes of the slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers the lawyer and women’s rights activist Pauli Murray and the Tejano statesman José Antonio Navarro, who is cited for “his commitments to both American ideals and to the rights of Texan ” in the period before and after Texas became part of the United States. The Navarro home is just one of several new landmarks relating to the history of activism, including Chicano Park in San Diego, site of some ultimately successful 1970 community protests. Other citations speak to the sometimes deadly legacies of government action. The citation for Wyandotte National Burying Ground in Kansas City, Kan. describes it as “tangible evidence of the consequences of federal American Indian removal policy to a tribal population and its identity. ” The citation for the Kent State site, where the Ohio National Guard shot and killed four students and wounded nine other people during a protest against the Vietnam War, refers to subsequent rulings by the Supreme Court that “the executive branch of government does not enjoy absolute immunity for its actions. ” A number of the sites are recognized for what may seem to be more straightforward significance as architecture or engineering, like the Neutra Studio and Residences in Los Angeles (associated with the modernist Richard Neutra) and the Organ, at a Methodist camp in Round Lake, N. Y. The instrument is cited as “an example of the technical and mechanical achievements in the War American industry. ” But even the designations for some seemingly straightforward sites might be seen as resonant with contemporary politics. The New York State Barge Canal, begun in 1905, is called “an embodiment of a Progressive Era emphasis on public works,” which was “built explicitly to counter the growing monopoly of railroad corporations. ” Kevin Young, the director of the Schomburg Center, a division of the New York Public Library in Harlem, said in an email that he was “especially pleased” that the announcement had noted the center’s social mission of promoting “intellectual freedom and social equality. ” He also noted the reference to the roots of its namesake, the immigrant bibliophile Arturo Schomburg. “Our focus on the entire African Diaspora has been important ever since our start 92 years ago,” said Mr. Young, who took over leadership at the center in December. “I am looking forward personally to exploring the connection, both in our collections and lively programming. ” | 1 |
This election remains more heated than any other in modern history – and for many, it has become a call to arms, even if only metaphorically.
Despite the fact that DNC operatives have been exposed as the ones inciting violence at rallies – Robert Creamer and Scott Foval for example – and working overtime to bus in illegal voters and rig the vote – the media is going out of its way to paint Trump supporters and grassroots Americans as the ones plotting violence.
Most recently, they are latching onto comments made by former congressman Joe Walsh, now a conservative radio host, who suggested he would ‘pick up a musket’ if Trump loses the election.
On November 8th, I’m voting for Trump.
On November 9th, if Trump loses, I’m grabbing my musket.
You in?
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016
Did Walsh mean to imply violence? That is certainly how the media is portraying it, as his comments spark controversy and fuel fire to the debate over the nearing election.
The irony that his commentary drew from the imagery of founding-era patriots who stood up to tyranny was deeply lost on the left, who see opponents to Hillary in black and white terms – racist, xenophobic, utterly deplorable and inherently violent.
CNN followed up, asking Walsh what he meant by statement.
via CNN :
Former Rep. Joe Walsh appeared to call for armed revolution Wednesday if Donald Trump is not elected president.
[…] Walsh … did respond to CNN’s Jake Tapper via Twitter when he asked: “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means protesting. Participating in acts of civil disobedience. Doing what it takes to get our country back,” he responded to Tapper.
@jaketapper It means protesting. Participating in acts of civil disobedience. Doing what it takes to get our country back.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016
After a firestorm on social media, Walsh doubled down, stating on Twitter:
I’m serious. I don’t think a musket would do much good these days, but it’s time for civil disobedience on the right. https://t.co/ThJPEbALWZ
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016
His heated rhetoric is a response to the endless episodes of fraud, dirty trick and foul play by the Hillary campaign, as it seems that she will stop at nothing to become the first female POTUS – just the sort of abuse of power that the founders warned about.
1775-76 erupted in response to a long train of abuses – acts of oppression and hostility listed in the Declaration of Independence that is being largely repeated in modern day America.
Could Hillary’s reported election victory – or Donald Trump’s defeat – signal civil unrest and a new wave of resistance, particularly if the results are widely viewed as fraudulent or “rigged”? Trump, for one, has certainly been talking up the possibility of a stolen election.
The scenario is plausible enough that the Pentagon and Homeland Security have been carrying out secret drills in the lead up to the election to prepare for the possibility of a martial law response to violence or civil unrest.
As SHTF detailed in an exclusive report, a whistleblower has come forward on the ominous contingency plan to keep and/or restore order if the populace revolt against the establishment’s “selection” for president:
If there is any truth to it, the 2016 election could be a kick-off for total tyranny.
According to an unnamed source – who has provided accurate intel in the past – an unannounced military drill is scheduled to take place during a period leading up to the election and throughout the month after.
Date: October 30th – 30 days after the election
Suspected Region: Northeast, specifically New York
1st Phase: NROL (No Rule of Law) – drill involving combat arms in metro areas (active and reserve). Source says active duty and reserve service members are being vaccinated as if they are being deployed in theatre.
2nd Phase: LROL (Limited Rule of Law) – Military/FEMA consolidating resources, controlling water supply, handing out to public as needed.
3rd Phase: AROL (Authoritarian Rule of Law) – Possible new acronym or term for “Martial Law”. Curfew, restricted movements, basically martial law scenario.
Source said exercise involves FEMA/DHS/Military
At this point, no one can say for certain what will happen in the aftermath of November 8, but it is clear that millions and millions of Americans are dissatisfied with the status quo, troubled about the economic realities perpetuated by the Fed and angry that Hillary may be put in the Oval Office rather than a jail cell, despite a trail of corruption with virtually no end.
How far will things go?
And will things ever be reset without a new American Revolution?
Courtesy post via SHTFPlan.com
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The Korean Central News Agency, the official news service of North Korea, on Friday published a statement issued by the nation’s nuclear weapons institute. Following is the complete text of the statement, with key passages highlighted, accompanied by context and analysis by the correspondents of The New York Times: The use of the phrase “nuclear warhead” rather than “nuclear device” is noteworthy, suggesting a specific, miniaturized design that can be mounted on a missile. D. P. R. K. refers to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name, and the Workers’ Party of Korea is the ruling party, led by Kim . The Hwasong artillery units are believed to be involved in the development of intercontinental missiles, but Hwasong also refers to a class of North Korean missiles, their version of a Scud missile. The Hwasong units have been conducting a series of missile tests in recent months, raising regional fears that the North can already mount a nuclear weapon on a missile capable of striking its neighbors, South Korea and Japan. The North recently tested a missile that may be able to reach American bases in the Pacific and has been working on one that can reach the continental United States. But experts say it could take five years for the North to develop the technology needed, including a warhead capable of surviving the stress of the atmosphere. The reference to standardization may be intended to suggest progress in the North’s manufacturing process after five tests as well as the possibility that it is ready to produce warheads for deployment. That impression is reinforced by the North’s assertion that it can produce warheads “at will and as many as it wants,” which is also a reminder that it has an expanding supply of fuel for nuclear weapons. The North expelled international inspectors and restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor in 2013 after the United States suspended talks. It appears to have resumed reprocessing spent fuel from the reactor this year to extract more plutonium, according to the United Nations. By citing “various fissile materials,” the North may be signaling that it has a second source of nuclear material besides the plutonium from Yongbyon reactor — a program to produce highly enriched uranium that it disclosed to a visiting American nuclear physicist in 2010. North Korea is believed to have material for at least a dozen, and perhaps as many as 20, nuclear weapons, but it is unclear how many it has actually built. Experts say that number depends in large part on how much highly enriched uranium it has produced. In case you missed it the first time, the statement makes a second reference here to mounting nuclear warheads on missiles. The statement reminds the world that sanctions imposed against North Korea over the past decade have neither prevented it from financing and procuring materials needed to make advances in its nuclear program, nor caused enough pain for it to abandon the effort. The North has demanded that the United States recognize it as a nuclear power, but Washington has insisted that it agree to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula before talks resume. | 1 |
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick could be called to testify in the double murder trial of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez. [Prosecutors filed charges against Hernandez for the 2012 murders of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Jury selection for the trial is already under way, the Boston Globe reports. But, along with jury selection, the prosecution has filed a list of some 120 potential civilian witnesses, including coach Belichick. There is no indication just what prosecutors intend to ask the coach. Hernandez’s former University of Florida teammate, Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, is also on the witnesses list, according to SportingNews. com. The player pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in this current case. Hernandez, who played for the Patriots between 2010 and 2012, has already been convicted of murder in a separate case. In 2015 the former NFL tight end was convicted of the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was sentenced to life without parole. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com. | 1 |
LONDON — After a startlingly swift transfer of power that made her Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May took charge of a new government on Wednesday, vowing to honor the referendum to leave the European Union and naming Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who had been widely considered politically dead, as foreign minister. Mr. Johnson had been at the forefront of the Leave campaign, but after its triumph abruptly pulled out of the contest to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron, who left office earlier Wednesday. Speaking as she arrived at the prime minister’s office at 10 Downing Street, Ms. May, 59, who had served for six years as home secretary, sought to position herself firmly in the tradition of “one nation” Conservatism, stressing her commitment to helping the underprivileged and pledging to fight “burning injustice. ” She also promised to preside over an economy that benefits everyone. “As we leave the European Union we will forge a bold new positive role for ourselves in the world, and we will make Britain a country that works not just for a privileged few but for every one of us,” Ms. May said, as her husband, Philip, stood nearby. Another notable appointment was that of David Davis, a former minister for Europe and a longstanding Euroskeptic, to lead a new department responsible for exiting the European Union. Liam Fox, a former defense secretary, will take charge of international trade. Ms. May has effectively handed Mr. Johnson, Mr. Davis and Mr. Fox the responsibility for successfully carrying out the withdrawal — known as Brexit — which they repeatedly promised would yield new opportunities. Putting crucial international portfolios firmly in the hands of Brexit supporters was perhaps an astute move for Ms. May, who had argued, tepidly, for Britain to remain in the European Union. Not only do the appointments appear to reflect a desire to unite her party around the outcome of the June 23 vote, they may also be calculated to head off any suggestion from that she might not follow the will of the voters. Even so, Mr. Johnson’s elevation to such a prestigious post represents a remarkable change of fortunes in a career that has had its share of them. He played a key role in the extraordinary national dramas of the last few months, abandoning Mr. Cameron, who desperately tried to keep Britain in the European Union, and cheerfully becoming the public face of the Brexit campaign. Yet when Mr. Cameron announced his resignation after the referendum, Mr. Johnson’s hopes of succeeding him as Conservative Party leader were undermined by another Brexit supporter, Justice Secretary Michael Gove, who threw aside his support for Mr. Johnson and announced his own candidacy. Mr. Gove argued that Mr. Johnson was not up to the job. Ms. May herself recently mocked Mr. Johnson’s negotiating skills over London’s purchase of used German water cannons when he was mayor. She blocked the use of the cannons, citing fears that they could cause serious injuries. Among other appointments, Ms. May promoted Amber Rudd, former energy secretary, to home secretary. That ensures that one of the biggest political offices — and Ms. May’s old job — remains in the hands of a woman. The new prime minister chose Philip Hammond, who had been foreign secretary, as chancellor of the Exchequer, replacing George Osborne, a close Cameron ally. Ms. May moved into 10 Downing Street after a day of political ritual that saw Mr. Cameron address lawmakers for the last time as prime minister, before tendering his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. Only on Monday did Ms. May learn that she would become prime minister, when the last remaining contender to lead the governing Conservative Party, Andrea Leadsom, quit the race. Ms. May takes over at a time of acute political turmoil and economic uncertainty and is the 13th prime minister to serve this queen — the first was Winston Churchill. Ms. May’s task is more formidable than that of most of her predecessors. She must chart a course that unites her Conservative Party and takes Britain out of the European Union, while limiting the effect of withdrawal on an economy already heading for a downturn and bruised by a slump in the value of its currency. The Brexit referendum divided the nation, with the majority of voters in a number of less affluent areas opting to quit the bloc, while most of those in London, Scotland and Northern Ireland took the opposite view. On Monday, Ms. May outlined some of the economic changes she hopes to make, speaking about taming excessive executive pay, and arguing that big multinational companies must pay their fair share in taxes. Just an hour or so before Ms. May spoke outside 10 Downing Street on Wednesday, Mr. Cameron stood in the same spot, flanked by his wife, Samantha, and their three children, paying tribute to his family and his key staff members who had supported him. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve our country as prime minister over these last six years, and to serve as the leader of my party for almost 11 years,” Mr. Cameron said. “My only wish is continued success for this great country that I love so very much. ” Mr. Cameron cited the nation’s economic recovery as his top legacy. “With the deficit cut by two and a half million more people in work and one million more businesses, there can be no doubt that our economy is immeasurably stronger,” he said. He also cited among his accomplishments the legalization of marriage, in 2013 changes to the education system and reduced wait times for operations in Britain’s National Health Service. “I’m delighted that for the second time in British history, the new prime minister will be a woman, and once again a Conservative,” Mr. Cameron said. “I believe Theresa will provide strong and stable leadership in fulfilling the Conservative manifesto on which we were elected, and I wish her well in negotiating the best possible terms for Britain’s exit from the European Union. ” Hours earlier, in his final parliamentary duty, Mr. Cameron took part for the last time in prime minister’s questions, the weekly ritual in which lawmakers interrogate the leader in often combative exchanges. On Wednesday, the discussion was more respectful — and lighthearted — than usual, as Mr. Cameron’s political adversaries and allies paid tribute to him. “I’m told that there are lots of leadership roles out there at the moment: there’s the England football team, there’s ‘Top Gear,’ there’s even across the big pond the role that needs filling,” Danny Kinahan, a lawmaker from Northern Ireland, told Mr. Cameron jokingly, referring to England’s soccer team, a wildly popular BBC television show — and the United States presidential election. | 1 |
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the .) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump continued to battle it out, making sequential appearances at a forum on national security. Ahead of the event, Mr. Trump proposed ending caps on military spending. Both candidates lay claim to major backing from the military. If you feel whipsawed by polls that seem uncertain about how much Mr. Trump has gained on Mrs. Clinton, one of our experts explains the fluctuations and reassures us that polls over the next few weeks are likely to be highly predictive. _____ 2. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter lashed out at Russia, which the F. B. I. believes hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s computer systems. In a speech at Oxford University, he accused Vladimir Putin’s government of demonstrating a “clear ambition to erode” international order and warned that the U. S. “will not ignore attempts to interfere with our democratic processes. ” Above, the secretary last month. _____ 3. Win or lose in November, Donald Trump is coming to Pennsylvania Avenue. The Trump International Hotel, Washington D. C. will bring service and stratospheric prices to the historic Old Post Office, six blocks from the White House. But it’s also as polarizing as many other aspects of Mr. Trump. The preservationist architect on the project, who resigned last year over differences, said, “He does not deserve this building. ” _____ 4. Apple announced a range of updates and improvements across its full line at its annual product showcase, but the big focus was the new iPhone 7. Its lack of a headphone jack means the device can be (oh be joyful) the company can sell wireless earbuds (ouch, $160) and the future looks a lot less like a tangle of wires. Our tech columnist sees a telling lack of dazzle. _____ 5. The Paralympic Games opened in Rio. Some 4, 300 athletes representing 161 nations and a team representing the world’s refugees will compete over the next 10 days. Shortfalls in ticket sales and sponsorships forced cuts in the number of workers, transportation options and sports venues, but not the number of events (live streaming on TeamUSA. org). _____ 6. At the U. S. Open, it’s the last of the quarterfinals. Kei Nishikori beat Andy Murray, so he’ll face the winner of tonight’s match between Stan Wawrinka and Juan Martin del Potro. And Serena Williams beat Simona Halep, bringing her in sight of her seventh U. S. Open crown and a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title. Looking at Williams’s backhand step by step reveals some of the secrets of her power. Here’s our full coverage of the tournament. _____ 7. Britain and France agreed to wall in an access road to the French port of Calais, to keep migrants from climbing aboard trucks and other vehicles in a bid to get to England. At least eight migrants have died trying to do so this year, despite miles of fences, barbed wire and surveillance cameras already in place. _____ 8. Signs of fall are everywhere: Leaves are turning, football is nigh, and New York has begun Fashion Week. Kanye West commanded a fleet of buses to move models, above, and guests to his Yeezy line’s fourth season show on Roosevelt Island, and Tom Ford led the breakaway movement to use the fall shows to — show fall clothes. It’s part of a model cracking through long tradition at the fashion shows. Speaking of tradition, check out our oral history of more than 70 years of New York Fashion Week, with the voices of Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Michael Kors and more. _____ 9. New details emerged of Edward Snowden’s path after he fled the U. S. in 2013 with details of how the National Security Agency’s vast program of surveillance had swept in millions of Americans. Four men and women, all asylum seekers and clients of one of Mr. Snowden’s Hong Kong lawyers, spoke of harboring him in cramped apartments in poor districts. One said she didn’t know who he was until she bought him a paper. “Oh my God, unbelievable,” she recalled saying to herself. “The most wanted man in the world is in my house. ” _____ 10. Finally, a veteran of a World War unit of female pilots was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Elaine Harmon, who died last year at the age of 95, served with the Women Airforce Service Pilots, who performed many flying tasks, some in great danger, to free male pilots for combat. The role is now congressionally recognized as warranting the honor of burial at Arlington. A chaplain read from a poem written by a WASP: “Thank God that now her flight can be to heights her eyes had she can race with comets, and buzz the rainbow’s span. ” _____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p. m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a. m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a. m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s last night’s briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes. com. | 1 |
Share This A photo of Hillary Clinton with some police officers popped up on social media over the weekend, but people were divided in their reaction to it. The post on the Facebook page for the Medford Police Patrolmen’s Association caused controversy and backlash online over the content and what the was seen being done to crooked Hillary. The post showed Medford Police officers at the Fall Festival in Haines Square on Saturday. The photo was done in fun and captioned, “Look who MPD grabbed at the Fall Festival in Haines Square today…” This image is an accurate depiction of what we all would like to see: Hillary in handcuffs. As you can plainly see, the photos show police officers with a woman in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffed. It appears that they are arresting someone, who wore a mask in the likeness of Hillary Clinton. Screenshot from the Medford Police Patrolman’s Facebook page
In a second photo, the police officers posed with a person in a Donald Trump mask, with the caption, “Making America GREAT again in West Medford Square!!” Screenshot from the Medford Police Patrolman’s Facebook page
Since a fair amount of overly sensitive pansies made a big deal about the posts, Harry MacGilvray, president of the Medford Police Patrolmen’s Association, decided to apologize for making the post.
“These were Halloween costumes. It was meant totally as a joke. I apologize if this offended anyone in any way,” MacGilvray said in a statement. “I never expected this sort of reaction. It was poor judgment on my part.”
The posts have been removed to avoid hurting the feelings of overly-sensitive liberals. While most of us see the humor in these images and understand how insane it was to apologize for the posts that were clearly done in jest, liberals don’t see things this way.
They go out of their way, looking to be offended. If the police posed with a handcuffed Trump, it’s pretty obvious that there would have been no outrage, because conservatives aren’t easily offended by free speech. However, a liberals sole purpose seems to be finding things to be offended over, and they have done it again. | 0 |
October 26, 2016
The Board of Shakespeare’s Globe have reassured audiences of their mission to produce shows of ‘mind-numbing tweeness’, purposely designed to send your average GCSE Literature student into a spiral of self-harm. Renewing their commitment to Shakespearean traditions, all staff will be expected to adhere to a life expectancy of 40, rats as pets, and a blanket ban on all actors who menstruate.
Having sacked artistic director Emma Rice for being more modern than ‘an iPhone9 in a holographic dress’, the Board will be looking for someone more in keeping with the Renaissance Period – like an Apothecary with typhoid. Any candidate must come with a ruff, a small goatee and a pathological distrust of the Spanish navy.
One scholar explained: ‘The fear is, that by making Shakespeare contemporary and relevant, you might actually make Shakespeare contemporary and relevant. And the last thing we want are ordinary people comprehending theatre or even, God forbid, enjoying it. Just look what happened to the beast with two backs, once the plebs discovered ‘The Joy of Sex’.
Mrs Rice had come under considerable criticism for using lighting and sound in ‘The Globe’, while removing popular features – such as the bear-baiting pit and the ‘Potato Museum of Wonder’. Upon hearing that she planned to replace lute players with Spotify, one board member demanded: ‘Burn her, she’s a witch!’ Share this story...
Posted: Oct 26th, 2016 by Wrenfoe Click for more article by Wrenfoe .. | 0 |
Society The US is charging dozens of people with participation in a major Indian-based fraud.
The US Justice Department has charged 61 people and entities with involvement in a major India-based scam that targeted thousands of Americans.
The scheme involved Indian call centers, where some workers called American citizens and convinced them to pay their non-existent debts by impersonating Internal Revenue Service (IRS), immigration and other federal officials, the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday.
Some victims were even offered short-term loans or grants on condition of providing good-faith deposits or payment of a processing fee.
The scammers had stolen more than $300 million from at least 15,000 unsuspecting citizens, the department noted.
The victims’ money was laundered by an American network of criminals who used debit cards or wire transfers under fake identities, the indictment said.
Federal officials arrested 20 people across America on Thursday. Additionally, 32 individuals and five call centers in India were charged with connection to the case.
US Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said in a press briefing that Washington was looking forward extraditing the suspects from India to face jail terms.
“It's really important for the scammers in India to know that the United States is looking at this, is watching them and they could, if they engage in that activity, be extradited to the United Sates and could sit in jail ... for several years,” she said.
In a bill of indictment for the scammers, the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas had pointed to scare tactics employed by the operators of call centers in Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat.
They “threatened potential victims with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay taxes or penalties to the government,” it read.
The extent of the scam was so vast that major federal organizations such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Treasury, Homeland Security, US Secret Service and police had to help with the investigation, according to the Justice Department. Loading ... | 0 |
BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces, backed by American airstrikes and advised by American officers, have been making strides in Anbar Province, slowly taking back territory from the Islamic State. But in Falluja, a city in Anbar that has been in the hands of the Islamic State longer than any other in Iraq or Syria, civilians are starving as the Iraqi Army and militias lay siege to the city. And elsewhere in the province, Shiite militias supported by Iran are carrying out kidnappings and murders and restricting the movement of Sunni Arab civilians, according to American and Iraqi officials. For seasoned observers of the American military involvement in Iraq — going back more than 25 years to the start of the Persian Gulf war — it is all part of a depressingly familiar pattern: battlefield gains that do not bring stability in their wake. “Unfortunately, as has been a trademark of American involvement with Iraq at least since 2003 (and arguably since 1991) military success is not being matched with the commensurate efforts that will ultimately determine whether battlefield successes are translated into lasting achievements,” Kenneth M. Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a longtime Iraq analyst, wrote recently in an online column. A growing number of critics are warning that military victories need to be backed up with political reconciliation between Sunni and Shiite Arabs, something Iran is working against, and with determined efforts to rebuild cities so that civilians can return. In Anbar, they note, the situation is bleak: Shiite militias have worsened sectarian animosities, and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been unable to return home. More broadly, analysts and officials say, it has become clear that though the United States and Iran both want to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq, they have been unable to work together to promote unity in the country — even after a deal was reached last year over Iran’s nuclear program, which many hoped would allow them to cooperate more closely. Nowhere is this dynamic more pronounced than in Anbar, a vast desert area of western Iraq that for years has been a homeland for the Islamic State and its forerunner, Al Qaeda in Iraq, and where hundreds of American soldiers and Marines were killed after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. As the United States supports the Iraqi Army and some local tribal fighters in battling the Islamic State, Iran has quietly pursued its objectives in the province, officials say. It wants to secure a land route to Syria and its allies, the government of President Bashar and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite movement, and to protect Baghdad and the south of Iraq. The situation in Anbar has grown increasingly muddled as the Obama administration has stepped up its military support to Iraq, announcing that it will deploy Apache helicopters and position more troops closer to the front lines. It has touted victories in Anbar as an important step toward liberating the country from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and as a prelude to a campaign, possibly this year, to retake Mosul, Iraq’s city. But Iran’s proxies are undercutting efforts to unite the civilian population, a necessity if Iraq is to eventually extinguish extremism. In the siege of Falluja, a Sunni city, the Shiite militias have prevented civilians from leaving Islamic State territory while resisting calls to allow humanitarian aid to reach the city. Sunni Arab civilians in the province are increasingly reporting kidnappings and murders by the militias, accounts that American and Iraqi officials say are credible. In some cases, after civilians have disappeared, their families have received ransom demands. Abu Abdulrahman, a resident of Amiriyat a city in Anbar under the control of the government, said three of his cousins vanished last year after being stopped at a militia checkpoint. “We haven’t heard anything about them since then,” he said, although a man approached the family and demanded a ransom of $8, 000, which was paid. “He disappeared with the money,” he said. Conditions are so dire in Falluja for the tens of thousands of civilians trapped there that dozens of people have starved to death, civilians and activists say. Food prices have skyrocketed, with a bag of flour that would cost $15 in Baghdad going for $750, Human Rights Watch has reported. The rights group recently warned that if aid does not reach Falluja, “the results for civilians could be calamitous. ” “We are profoundly worried about Falluja,” Lise Grande, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said in a recent statement. “There are reports of widespread food shortages and lack of medicines. We don’t have access to the city, but we have to assume based on what we are hearing that people are in terrible trouble. ” Hadi a prominent Iraqi official who leads the Badr Organization, a longstanding militia backed by Iran, said in an interview this year as the siege of Falluja began that it was a military necessity to “surround the city, to cut off supply lines. ” When asked about the demand from the United Nations and other groups to find a way to send food in, he said, using another acronym for the Islamic State, “to give food to who — to Daesh?” Inside Falluja, some civilians who say they initially supported the Islamic State as preferable to the government in Baghdad now say they would welcome liberation. But they say they are caught between the Islamic State, which has become more brutal toward civilians as the siege has dragged on, and the government and militias. “The situation inside Falluja is difficult because of the siege imposed by the security forces outside Falluja, and from the inside by ISIS, who won’t let us get out of the city,” said Ahmed Mohammed, a Falluja resident reached by telephone. Cellphone reception is spotty, and anyone seen talking on a cellphone is at risk of arrest. “It has become very difficult for us to use our mobile phones because ISIS expects that we may be talking with the government,” said Qais who was reached by phone last week. “Therefore, we are very cautious. ” He added, “We don’t know our destiny, or the destiny of our families. ” | 1 |
GOP establishment consultant Rick Wilson, one of the most vile “Never Trumpers” who once said the donor class should “put a bullet in” Donald Trump, thinks supporters of President Trump saw the assassination attempt on House Majority Whip Steve Scalise ( ) as a “blessing. ” “A lot of clickservatives saw yesterday as a grim blessing,” Wilson tweeted the morning after a gunman who hated Trump and Republicans opened fire on Republicans who were practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game. After saying that Trump supporters were “dead right” about the “media double standard,” Wilson claimed “the thing they really loved … even at the cost of a lunatic Bernie Bro almost committing mass murder was … the chance to try to blame opposition to Trump on the shooting. ” He added this was a “sign of their moral decay. ” A lot of clickservatives saw yesterday as a grim blessing, and the editorial coverage and reaction from the left as two things. — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 15, 2017, But the thing they really loved. Really, really, loved even at the cost of a lunatic Bernie Bro almost committing mass murder was … — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 15, 2017, … the chance to try to blame opposition to Trump on the shooting. My TL and email were full of it. It’s a sign of their moral decay … — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 15, 2017, He has turned into an unhinged gasbag with a Twitter account. — I’m Triggered (@StopThisMadnes1) June 15, 2017, Most Americans were praying for Scalise, staffers, and the heroic Capitol Police officers who were shot in the line of duty the morning after the assassination attempt. But this apparently was apparently the first thing on Wilson’s unhinged mind when he woke up. Wilson, though, seems to be doing a bit of projecting since he once politicized, out of all things, a rape threat against his daughter to try to score political points against Breitbart News. John Nolte wrote at the time that “in all the years I’ve been on social media, I have never seen anyone — not even the lowest Leftist — use a threat of rape against their own child as a political talking point or debating point against a political opponent. ” After he politicized the rape threat against his daughter, Wilson was immediately asked if he had gone to law enforcement and whether law enforcement officials asked him not to publicize the rape threat on social media. During the 2016 election cycle, Wilson, who constantly bemoans what he deems is crass behavior by anyone who is not a fellow “Never Trumper,” went on national television and said the donor class needed to “put a bullet in Donald Trump. ” “They’re still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump,” Wilson told MSNBC’s audience. “And that’s a fact. ” Wilson also likened Ann Coulter to a prostitute and asked Coulter if Trump paid her “more for anal. ” | 1 |
We Are Change
Intelligence agencies are running al-Qaeda camps in North Africa?— UN consultant (EXCLUSIVE) New evidence points to a Western cover-up of Algerian state sponsorship of Islamist jihadists, to protect oil and gas interests By Nafeez Ahmed
An unpublished report by a government advisor and UN consultant, obtained exclusively by INSURGE intelligence , accuses Western and Algerian security services of complicity in al-Qaeda terrorist activity across North Africa.
The academic report focuses on damning evidence that a devastating al-Qaeda terrorist attack on the Tigantourine gas plant near In Amenas, Algeria, was orchestrated by Algeria’s secret services, with the knowledge of US, French and British intelligence.
A draft copy of the report, due to be published later this month, has been seen exclusively by INSURGE intelligence .
Escalating instability in North Africa is being blamed on the re-emergence of an offshoot of al-Qaeda?—?al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Despite French military efforts, the group is re-consolidated in northern Mali, and has orchestrated terror strikes from Burkino Faso to the Ivory Coast.
Yet the new draft report by a UN consultant, prepared by the International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) at Queen Mary University of London, uncovers remarkable evidence that the Phoenix-like return of AQIM is thanks to the unwavering covert support the terror group receives from one of the West’s staunch allies in the ‘war on terror’: Algeria.
Terror ties The as-yet unpublished report highlights evidence of such support from the In Amenas attack between 16 and 20 January 2013, which resulted in the deaths of 39 foreign nationals, including three Americans, six Britons, five Norwegians, and one French.
The Tigantourine gas plant is operated jointly by BP, Norway’s Statoil and the Algerian state-owned Sonatrach, producing 12% of Algeria’s natural gas.
Algeria’s In Amenas gas plant (Reuters) The attack was the single largest terrorist killing of ‘Westerners’ since the London bombings of 7 July 2005.
The Queen Mary University of London report is authored by social anthropologist Professor Jeremy Keenan of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Keenan, who has authored over 200 peer-reviewed scholarly articles and six books on the Sahara-Sahel region, is an advisor on regional security issues to NATO, the US State Department, the EU, the UN, the British Foreign Office, and international oil companies.
The report reveals startling evidence that the attack was secretly organised by the DRS, Algeria’s notorious secret intelligence service. The idea was to convince Algeria’s Western allies to continue supporting the regime’s domestic and regional counter-terrorism programmes, amidst growing international scepticism about their success.
Algeria’s DRS maintained intimate ties with the terrorists behind the In Amenas attack, many of whom have been longstanding agents of the Algerian security services, the report says.
US, British and French intelligence services are aware of these connections, but are covering them up to protect their considerable oil and gas interests in the country.
Among the report’s most alarming revelations is that over the last decade, Algeria’s DRS has run a secret al-Qaeda training camp in the Tamouret region, with the knowledge of Western government security agencies.
Al-Qaeda camp?—?run by Algeria’s secret state Over several years, Prof Keenan obtained direct eyewitness evidence from locals about the secret al-Qaeda camp in Tamouret, including from an AQIM member who trained there.
Its purpose is to recruit, indoctrinate and train marginalised youth from across North Africa into committing atrocities in Algerian communities?—?after which they would usually be executed.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) fighters in a propaganda video filmed in the Sahara (Wikipedia Commons) According to Keenan’s eyewitness sources, the camp was visited almost daily “by high-ranking army and DRS officers… including General Rachid ‘Attafi’ Lallali, the head of the DRS’ External Security Directorate (DDSE).”
The camp was also directly supplied with arms and ammunition from Algerian army depots.
Detailed information on the identities of camp recruits, including DNA data, was routinely shared with Western intelligence agencies according to sources familiar with the camp.
Trainee terrorists at Tamouret were schooled in sniping and throat-slitting. The camp was provided with a continual supply of prisoners?—?mostly criminals and dissenting soldiers?—?purely for the purpose of being killed during training.
Over a seven month period, one eyewitness said, about 180 murders had taken place at the camp during such routine practice sessions.
In Amenas?—?a DRS operation Keenan’s report for the International State Crime Initiative points to disturbing evidence of Algerian intelligence services’ direct sponsorship of al-Qaeda terror.
On 27 August 2015, senior DRS commander General “Hassan” Abdelkader Aït Ouarabi was arrested by Algerian authorities. The arrest was based on allegations from three terrorists captured at the In Amenas gas facility, who claimed they had received arms from General Hassan.
On the same day as Gen Hassan’s arrest, the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), James Clapper, flew into Algiers for high-level government meetings.
The FBI had also been given access to the three terrorists making these allegations before July 2013.
Corroborating this information, the report refers to the testimony of former DRS captain, H. Haroune, and a former captain and instructor in the Special Forces under DRS command at the time, A. Chouchan. The two former DRS operatives have claimed that “General Mediène [then DRS chief] ordered the attack on In Amenas (presumably planned to be a hostage-taking mission that the army would resolve as it did at Gharis in 2003).”
What did BP know? Astonishingly, the report reveals that before the attack, BP and Statoil had a three year contract with a transport services company, BAAT SARL, owned by Mohamed Ghadir, the brother of al-Qaeda terrorist Abdelhamid Abou Zaïd?—?the head of AQIM in the Sahara, and chief of the DRS-run AQIM training camp at Tamouret.
At the London inquest last year, BP was never questioned about this contract, despite it involving a company tied to the very al-Qaeda group that attacked the gas plant.
In the years preceding the attack, Keenan himself?—?in his capacity as a security consultant?—?repeatedly warned BP that the facility would be attacked by Islamist terrorists with the covert support of the Algerian government.
Keenan suggests that BP’s inexplicable lack of concern about the matter was because the firm had been given security assurances from Algerian or Western authorities that AQIM would not attack the plant.
BP did not respond to request for comment.
Gary Rose, an emergency response advisor who worked at the In Amenas facility, said that BP’s onsite security “was incredibly poor and relied totally on the untested and unknown capabilities of the Algerian military.” Rose narrowly avoided the attack having left the site two days earlier.
Rose, who gave evidence at the London Inquest, was especially damning about BP’s approach. The firm “did nowhere near enough to protect the facility, even with the most basic and credible scenarios in their own emergency response plans…
“The risk assessment process was flawed, inadequate and done from a view of process safety not human safety. Physical security was constantly breached by the local staff and was out of direct expatriate control, the physical barriers and warning/protection systems were wholly inadequate. I know exactly what systems we did and did not have, and management on site were aware of all the failings too. After the fall of Libya there should have been a massive review of security, but instead we handed over more control to poorly trained Algerian security guards. We were all aware of bandits and arms trafficking in the desert regions but were just relying on the Algerian military to manage this, maybe by force or maybe by negotiation?”
According to Rose, the most appropriate way of dealing with the risk would have required abandoning the site to conduct a full review and reinforcement.
But shutting down and abandoning the facility, or any other such facilities, “was never an option due to the huge amount of revenue and European reliance on external hydrocarbons: it’s economy over safety and that’s how the petroleum industry works.”
Complicity in Algeria’s reign of terror The draft report by Queen Mary University’s ISCI refers to recent revelations from Habib Souaïdia, a former Algerian army officer.
According to Souaïdia:
“… he had been informed by many of his former colleagues [in the Algerian Special Forces] that the leaders of some of the jihadist groups sowing terror in Tunisia ‘take their orders from Algiers.’”
In 2015, Tunisia experienced two major terrorist attacks, in which a total of 61 civilians were killed by gunmen with ties to Algeria.
Souaïdia reported that mobile phones and SIM cards of AQIM jihadists killed in Tunisia’s Mount Chaambi border area, obtained by the Tunisian army, “revealed their communications with DRS officials in Algiers, including their phone numbers and even their nicknames.”
In late 2013, the information about the SIM cards was handed over to US intelligence, which demanded Algeria’s army chiefs put a stop to the support for jihadists in Tunisia. But, Keenan says, a related US concern was to prevent information on the DRS’ dealings with terrorists falling into the public domain:
“The reason for that was because US intelligence services and the DRS had been working together as close allies in the so-called war on terror since 2002 and would inevitably, and quite correctly, be seen as having been complicit in whatever ‘false-flag’ and other such questionable operations had been conducted by the DRS since 2002.”
The AQIM-backed insurgency in Mali was also being supported by Algeria’s intelligence services. A Nigerian military officer told Keenan that AQIM forces in Mali were being supplied food and fuel by the DRS.
Throughout the DRS’ sponsorship of regional al-Qaeda terrorist activity, the US, Britain and France have worked closely with the very same DRS on regional ‘counter-terrorism’?—?despite being privy to damning intelligence on Algeria’s double-game.
Algerian soldiers The Clinton files Direct confirmation of high-level US knowledge of the Algerian regime’s relationship with the terrorists behind the In Amenas attack came from emails leaked from Hillary Clinton’s private server, published by Wikileaks in March 2016.
An email dated 17 January 2013 to Clinton from her aide Sidney Blumenthal, noted that the alleged leader of the In Amenas attack, AQIM terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar [MBM], had a secret agreement with Algerian intelligence. Under the agreement, Belmokhtar would pursue al-Qaeda destabilisation operations in Mali and the Western Sahara:
“According to sources with access to the Algerian DGSE [the DRS], the Bouteflika government reached a highly secret understanding with Belmokhtar after the kidnapping in April 2012 of the Algerian consul in Gao (Mali). Under this agreement Belmokhtar concentrated his operations in Mali, and occasionally, with the encouragement of the Algerian DGSE, attack Moroccan interests in Western Sahara, where the Algerians have territorial claims.”
Mokhtar Belmokhtar was also, according to Keenan’s eyewitness sources, in charge of logistics for the al-Qaeda training camp in Tamouret, which he visited every two weeks.
Hillary Clinton A further email dated 19 January 2013 from Blumenthal to Clinton reported that French intelligence had learnt from a source “with access to the highest levels of the Algerian army” that:
“… officers of the Algerian DGSE [DRS] are looking to secretly meet Belmokhtar or one of his lieutenants in northern Mauritania in the immediate future. They have been ordered to find out why Belmokhtar violated their two-year-old secret agreement and launched attacks inside Algeria.”
There is no evidence that such a meeting actually took place, suggesting that the DRS was not really interested in finding the answer.
In any case, Clinton forwarded Blumenthal’s email to Robert Russo, her assistant in the US Department of State?—?which means the US government was aware of the agreement between AQIM’s Belmokhtar and Algerian intelligence.
Keenan points out that these emails must be placed in context with the evidence that the DRS itself had sponsored the In Amenas attack in the first place:
“We therefore had a situation in which the presidency, the army high command and, most likely, western oil companies, knew there was a secret agreement with MBM not to attack installations within Algeria. The DRS, which would have been the agency that made the deal with MBM, would have assured the presidency and army command that such an agreement had been made. What neither the presidency, army nor foreign oil companies knew, although they may have suspected, was that they had effectively been double-crossed by the DRS.”
In either case, it seems that the State Department was aware that Algerian intelligence was sponsoring Islamist terror across North Africa.
When asked what the State Department did with the information it had received via Hillary Clinton, a spokesperson, Pooja Jhunjhunwala said:
“As a matter of policy, the Department of State does not comment on materials, including classified documents, which may have been leaked.”
However, when asked about the State Department’s position on public record evidence of Algerian intelligence support to jihadists supplied by Prof Keenan?—?who has previously consulted on regional security issues for the State Department?—?she simply declined to comment.
Cover-up? Much of this information was passed on by Keenan to the London Inquest into the attack on the Tigantourine gas plant. Yet the Inquest, which delivered its verdict in February 2015, excluded this evidence from the proceedings. Keenan himself was blocked from giving evidence at the Inquest.
The Addendum to the Queen Mary University report includes the full text of a letter dated 30 April 2015 sent by Prof Keenan to Detective Constable William Wixey of the SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, summarising his available evidence.
Keenan’s letter offered to provide access to multiple witnesses, two of whom would be non-Algerian citizens, who would expose the leader of the In Amenas attack as an “agent” of Algeria’s secret intelligence service.
On 13 May, DC Wixey replied to Keenan’s letter to explain that the Coroner’s office was “of the view that they do not wish to take this matter further at this stage.”
The Metropolitan Police failed to respond to a request for comment on the decision to block Keenan’s evidence from the Inquest.
In addition to blocking Keenan’s evidence, the British government used Public Interest Immunity?—?the withdrawal of information on grounds of ‘national security’?—?to suppress the disclosure of key documents at the Inquest on what the government knew, and when.
The use of Public Interest Immunity was “very suspicious,” London Inquest witness Gary Rose said:
“Now we are not able to know what is being withheld and there is little that can be done about that.”
In his report for Queen Mary University, Prof Keenan concludes that the government had sought not only to cover up “its own incompetency with regard to the FCO”, but also to avoid questions about the government’s “possible complicity in [Algerian] state crimes.”
The government’s goal was to withhold any information alluding to British intelligence collusion with the DRS, including evidence that MI6 had been “complicit in activity that could be construed as criminal.”
In the absence of a further inquiry, there seems little prospect that the questions Keenan raises will be answered by officialdom. Yet his forthcoming report goes some way toward uncovering the real reasons that the threat of terrorism is escalating in North Africa.
Dr. Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed is an award-winning 15-year investigative journalist, international security scholar, bestselling author, and film-maker.
He is the creator of INSURGE intelligence , a crowdfunded public interest investigative journalism project, ‘System Shift’ columnist at VICE, and a weekly columnist at Middle East Eye. He is Global Editor at The Canary . Previously, Nafeez wrote The Guardian’s ‘Earth insight’ blog.
His work has been published in The Guardian, VICE, Independent on Sunday, The Independent, The Scotsman, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, Quartz, The New Statesman, Prospect, Le Monde diplomatique, Raw Story, New Internationalist, Huffington Post UK, Al-Arabiya English, AlterNet, The Ecologist, and Asia Times, among other places.
Exclusive stories broken by Nafeez via INSURGEintelligence have been covered by USA Today, Global Post, The Guardian, The Independent, Washington Post, The Metro, The Week, News Corp’s news.com.au, Discovery News, Channel 4 News, Forbes, Columbia Journalism Review, Gigaom, FutureZone, among others.
In 2015, Nafeez won the Project Censored Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism for his Guardian story on the energy politics of the Ukraine crisis. The previous year he won another Project Censored Award, known popularly as the ‘Alternative Pulitzer’, for his Guardian article on climate-induced food crises and civil unrest.
In 2010, Nafeez won the Routledge-GCPS Essay Prize for his academic paper on the ‘Crisis of Civilisation’ published in the journal Global Change, Peace and Security. He also won the Premio Napoli (Naples Prize) in 2003, Italy’s most prestigious literary award created by decree of the President of the Republic.
Nafeez has twice been featured in the Evening Standard’s ‘Top 1,000’ list of most influential people in London, in 2014 and 2015.
Nafeez is the author of A User’s Guide to the Crisis of Civilization: And How to Save It (2010), and the scifi thriller novel ZERO POINT , among other books. His work on the root causes and covert operations linked to international terrorism officially contributed to the 9/11 Commission and the 7/7 Coroner’s Inquest.
This story is being released for free in the public interest, and was enabled by crowdfunding. I’d like to thank my amazing community of patrons for their support, which gave me the opportunity to work on this story. Please support independent, investigative journalism for the global commons via www.patreon.com/nafeez , where you can donate as much or as little as you like.
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Posted on October 27, 2016 by The Daily Sheeple
There is no doubt about it. Hillary Clinton is after your guns.
Brian Fallon, national press secretary for the Clinton campaign, wrote in an email dated October 4, 2015 that Clinton intends to stop the “gun show loophole”, meaning all private gun sales, by executive order :
Circling back around on guns as a follow up to the Friday morning discussion: the Today show has indicated they definitely plan to ask bout guns, and so to have the discussion be more of a news event than her previous times discussing guns, we are going to background reporters tonight on a few of the specific proposals she would support as President – universal background checks of course, but also closing the gun show loophole by executive order and imposing manufacturer liability .
Imposing manufacturer liability means that after Sandy Hook, Bushmaster and Remington Arms would have been prosecuted for having a hand in the murder of children and school staff members for firearms that were legally sold. When a lawsuit brought against these manufacturers was found to be frivolous, Clinton made a big fuss about it on Twitter: It's incomprehensible that our laws would protect gun makers over Sandy Hook families. We need to fix this. https://t.co/96uBe92wPi
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 15, 2016
In September 1993 during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Hillary Clinton was asked by Senator Bill Bradley if she supported a 25% sales tax on handguns and automatic weapons. She was very clear in her support of taxing guns:
“I’m all for that. I just don’t know what else we’re going to do to try to figure out how to get some handle on this violence,” said Clinton. “I’m speaking personally, but I feel very strongly about that.”
In another email exchange dated January 14, 2016, Clinton wrote about using racial division to further her gun control agenda by selectively ignoring occurrences of gun violence that were not racially motivated. For this reason, according to the email, the Clinton campaign did not include the story of Jordan Davis in an essay on gun violence:
This is great. My edits are attached. The only flag here is that Jordan Davis was killed by a white man, so arguably – this crime was racially motivated, which takes this outside the discussion of gun violence. Was there another mother in the Chicago meeting where the shooting was NOT racially motivated? If yes, we should use that story instead of Jordan Davis.
In another email from March 17, we see an exchange about how to attack Donald Trump and a press call with Arizona locals about gun control. When asked about an anti-gun op-ed article by the Clinton Campaign, Chairman John Podesta wrote that he fears blowback from Clinton’s supporters:
Interestingly, I am worried about blowback from our supporters. Contributed by The Daily Sheeple of www.TheDailySheeple.com . Don't forget to follow the D.C. Clothesline on Facebook and Twitter. PLEASE help spread the word by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks. Share this: | 0 |
From The Daily Express :
PUPILS at a primary school were forced to chant “Allahu Akhbar” and “there is no God but Allah”, an appalled father has claimed.
The father of the pupil at the girl’s primary school in German ski resort Garmisch-Partenkirchen discovered that his daughter had been forced to learn the Islamic prayer when he discovered a handout she had been given.
He claimed she had been “forced” by teachers to memorise the Islamic chants and forwarded the handout to Austrian news service unsertirol24.
The handout read: “Oh Allah, how perfect you are and praise be to you. Blessed is your name, and exalted is your majesty. There is no God but you.”
It had been given to the girl during a lesson in “ethics” at the Bavarian school.
What are they going to teach, the ethics of conquest and slavery?
Here’s another story from yesterday in RT :
Parents of a German teenager may face a trial and fine for “truancy” after refusing to allow their son to go to a local mosque on a school field trip out of fear that it would lead to his “indoctrination” by Islamic radicals.
The story broke in mid-June, when parents of a 13-year-old student opposed the idea of their son visiting a mosque in the northern German town of Rendsburg, reportedly organized as part of a geography class.
In a letter to the class teacher quoted by the NDR, the teen’s father argued that his son would be “indoctrinated” in the mosque. He went on to say that “for years we have been hearing reports about religiously-motivated violence connected with Islamic people.”
A local education authority subsequently fined the couple a total of €300 ($328), referring to school regulations and regional laws which include penalties for truancy.
— Alexandra Witt (@AlexiaStellar) October 23, 2016
When the parents opposed the fine, their case was forwarded to Peter Mueller-Rakow, a local prosecutor, who will decide whether or not to proceed with a court trial, Spiegel reported on Wednesday.
The parents’ lawyer, Alexander Heumann, argues that they refused the school trip out of fear for their son’s “bodily safety.”
Denying any faith-based motives, he emphasized that the couple do not belong to any religious group, and are of the opinion that “nobody shall be forced into a sacred place against his good will.”
…School principal Renate Fritzsche … told NDR that the field trip to the mosque was meant to promote tolerance and diversity.
“We also have Muslim children with us and Muslim parents also know that there are no exceptions,” she said, adding that swimming lessons and sex education are compulsory for Muslim children as well. “It is not the responsibility of the parents to say: ‘My child will attend such or such class,’” Fritzsche asserted.
Intolerance will not be tolerated! | 0 |
Meteor, space junk, rocket? Mysterious flash hits Siberia 'It was as bright as day for 5 or 6 seconds! Sensation!' Published: 9 mins ago
(Russia Today) People in eastern Siberia have been left mystified by a flash that illuminated the sky with green light, resembling the famous Chelyabinsk meteor of 2013. The event has become a hot topic for discussion, with people suggesting the flash could have been anything from a meteor to space junk or even a rocket.
The phenomenon was observed by residents of Irkutsk Region and Buryatia Republic in eastern Siberia on Tuesday, local media reported.
According to local witnesses, the sky was illuminated by a green light, before an object resembling a comet fell from the sky. Some locals claimed that the object was moving towards Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on Earth. | 0 |
■ The national security adviser appointed by Donald J. Trump called a Russian envoy the day before sanctions were imposed on Russia for meddling in the election. ■ The “conscience of the House” — the civil rights hero John Lewis — does not believe Mr. Trump will be a legitimate president. Not a good start. ■ The great potty coverup on The Mall: does the not want “Don’s Johns” visible on Inauguration Day? ■ And readers get a chance to say what they would ask Mr. Trump’s E. P. A. pick, Scott Pruitt. Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, who will be Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, spoke with Sergei I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, the day before President Obama imposed sanctions on Russia for election hacking, to arrange a phone call between President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Mr. Trump once he becomes president, a Trump spokesman said Friday. Mr. Flynn’s secret call did not violate the law, Mr. Trump’s spokesman said. But under the circumstances, it is bound to raise eyebrows. “The call centered around the logistics of setting up a call with the president of Russia and the after he was sworn in, and they exchanged logistical information,” Sean Spicer, Mr. Trump’s spokesman, told reporters on a conference call on Friday. “That was it, plain and simple. ” Several news organizations reported on Thursday on the calls between the two men. David Ignatius of The Washington Post suggested it could have violated the Logan Act, a law that bars American citizens from negotiating without authorization with foreign governments that have a dispute with the United States. Mr. Spicer said General Flynn had initially reached out to Mr. Kislyak via text message on Christmas Day to wish him a happy holiday and to say that he looked forward to working with him in the coming administration. The ambassador sent a text back returning the sentiment, he added. The Russian envoy followed up on Dec. 28 with another text that asked if he could call General Flynn, and the two spoke, Mr. Spicer said. The call, which came the day before Mr. Obama announced penalties for Russia, including the expulsion from the United States of 35 Russian diplomats, never touched on the sanctions, Mr. Spicer said. It was bad enough that a new Gallup poll on Friday morning found that only 44 percent of Americans approve of the way Mr. Trump has handled his transition — compared with 83 percent who approved of President Obama’s transition and 61 percent who approved of George W. Bush’s. That followed a Quinnipiac University poll this week that put Mr. Trump’s approval rating at 37 percent. But now, Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia and a hero of the civil rights movement, is flat out saying he doesn’t see Mr. Trump “as a legitimate president. ” Elected Democrats are not only boasting of skipping the inauguration but are pledging to join the massive protest march that will follow on Jan. 21. Needless to say, this is not a good way to start a presidency. They are calling it the potty of the 2017 inauguration. The Associated Press reported on Friday that workers preparing the Capitol grounds and National Mall for the inauguration of Mr. Trump have altered the portable toilets being set up to accommodate attendees, apparently to spare the ego of the . The toilets are provided by the equipment rental company Don’s Johns. But on Friday, a Capitol employee was photographed covering the company’s logo with blue masking tape, and later, dozens of the appeared to have been altered that way. The company’s chief executive said he had no idea why his logo had been covered, telling the AP “we’re proud to have our name on the units. ” It appears, however, that a certain somebody else is not. On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump promised that with his skills, we’d be winning so much, we’d get tired of winning. Marillyn Hewson, the chief executive of Lockheed Martin, which makes the fighter jet, delivered the latest victory: the cost will come down, as Mr. Trump has demanded. After meeting with the she told reporters at Trump Tower, “I’m glad I had the opportunity to tell him that we are close to a deal that will bring the cost down significantly from the previous lot of aircraft to the next lot of aircraft, and moreover it’s going to bring a lot of jobs to the United States. ” She added: This is a bit of corporate spin for the incoming commander in chief’s benefit. Shortly before the election in November, the Pentagon had imposed a price cut on the last group of because Lockheed wouldn’t budge. Then the Defense Department began negotiating the price for the next lot, and Lockheed understood that if it tried to fight another price cut, the Pentagon would have imposed it again. Attorney General Scott Pruitt of Oklahoma, who spent years suing the Environmental Protection Agency to thwart its regulations, especially those that combat climate change, will appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday for a hearing to confirm him as head of the agency. The hearing promises to be among the most contentious of all the confirmation grillings, so The New York Times is reaching out to readers: What should senators ask Mr. Pruitt? The election was more than two months ago, the Electoral College ballots have been certified and the inauguration is a week away, but the has not gone beyond campaign mode when it comes to Hillary Clinton. After the decision by the Justice Department inspector general to investigate James B. Comey, the F. B. I. director, over his actions in the final days of the campaign, Mr. Trump went on a tirade. The leap to “guilty as hell” was a big one. The investigation will center on why Mr. Comey sent a public letter to Congress in the last days of the campaign announcing that the F. B. I. was reopening the Clinton emails investigation after discovering other messages on the laptop of Anthony D. Weiner, the estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a top Clinton aide. Days later, Mr. Comey announced that the computer held no incriminating evidence. On Twitter on Friday morning, Mr. Trump again brought up the unsubstantiated, explosive dossier that a retired British intelligence agent compiled from information that he said Russia possesses. Mr. Trump likes to dismiss the “failing New York Times,” but he clearly reads it closely. The Times published a lengthy history of the dossier in question that traces it to Republican and Democratic operatives who helped bankroll it to stop Mr. Trump’s election. Left unsaid are the respectable credentials of the British spy, Christopher Steele, or the fact that he is now in hiding, fearing retribution. By now, Mr. Trump’s concert has become a kind of reality show unto itself, marked by rumors of stars, leaks to the press, and occasional promises of an unforgettable show on the eve of the ’s swearing in. The final details are in and the affair looks to be — well, you decide. The concert is actually two. The first portion of the evening, “Voices of the People,” will feature performances by small groups from across the country. Think more D. C. Fire Department Emerald Society Pipes and Drums and Webelos Troop 177 than Beyoncé. The have been reserved for the second part, which will be televised across the country and feature remarks by Mr. Trump himself. This part of the evening, “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration,” looks to be heavy on country music — Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, and a group calling itself the Frontmen of Country — with some 1980s Broadway (Jennifer Holliday) rock (3 Doors Down) and a D. J. (RaviDrums) mixed in. Jon Voight, the actor who narrated a video for Mr. Trump during the campaign, will serve as M. C. And a fireworks show by Grucci will close out the evening. And in case you were wondering, a news release announcing the details boasted that the show “is produced and directed by Emmy Award winners and nominees. ” That would include Mark Burnett, the acclaimed reality television producer who worked with Mr. Trump on “The Apprentice” and has helped plan the inaugural festivities. One of Mr. Trump’s most provocative and persistent antagonists, Cher, is leading a new boycott of the that aims to hit him where he will most certainly feel it: his Nielsen ratings. Under the Twitter hashtag “TURNHIMOFF,” Cher began Thursday night circulating her plea for people who oppose Mr. Trump to turn off their televisions when his inaugural festivities begin next Friday. “Ratings are what he understands,” the singer and actress said in a phone interview. Cher’s Twitter feed became one of the most animated and popular sources of sentiment during the election. And the ferocity that she — a megacelebrity with nearly 3. 2 million Twitter followers — used to go after Mr. Trump seemed to perfectly capture what a surreal turn American politics took in 2016. Senior national security officials for President Obama are hosting their counterparts on Trump’s team on Friday for a exercise at the White House intended to practice the response to a major domestic or international emergency. The session, similar to one that George W. Bush’s staff held in the restricted Situation Room for Mr. Obama’s team just days before he was inaugurated in 2009, aims to familiarize the incoming president’s team with the protocols and practices the federal government uses in a crisis. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said it would simulate what happens during “major domestic incidents,” including natural disasters. In the exercise in 2009, top Bush administration officials walked Mr. Obama’s aides through what would happen in the event of an attack involving a series of explosions detonating in a number of American cities simultaneously. Maybe the new White House will conclude what “WarGames,” that 1980s movie, said about fighting a nuclear war: “The only winning move is not to play. ” Mr. Trump’s foray onto social media Friday morning wasn’t all anger and spittle. He praised his cabinet picks’ performances before the Senate — which have gone well, on the whole — and the progress Congress is making toward gutting the Affordable Care Act. And: The House is likely to give final approval on Friday to parliamentary language that would allow Congress to eviscerate President Obama’s signature domestic achievement with a simple Senate majority this spring, and without fear of a Democratic filibuster. What comes next is uncertain, and of grave concern to the 20 million Americans now covered by the health law and the millions more protected by its prohibitions on discrimination for medical conditions and lifetime coverage caps. From the department of mixed messages: The House speaker said on Thursday that the United States would not send out a large force to remove thousands of unauthorized immigrants any time soon. “It’s not happening,” Mr. Ryan said during a CNN town meeting in Washington, where a woman whose parents brought her to the United States at age 11 — a category of people often referred to as “dreamers” — asked him, “Do you think that I should be deported?” Mr. Ryan said that Mr. Trump’s promise of a deportation force would not come to fruition. “I can see that you love your daughter and you’re a nice person who has a great future ahead of you,” he said, “and I hope your future’s here. ” When the moderator, Jake Tapper, reminded Mr. Ryan of the ’s campaign promise to create a “deportation force,” Mr. Ryan said, “I know, I know. ” He continued, “But I’m here to tell you, in Congress, it’s not happening. ” Mr. Ryan has long supported an immigration plan that would mix new border security measures with protections for some unauthorized immigrants, but he has had little luck getting other Republican members of the House to join him. | 1 |
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — American corporations are under new scrutiny from federal lawmakers after episodes in which the companies laid off American workers and gave the jobs to foreigners on temporary visas. But while corporate executives have been outspoken in defending their labor practices before Congress and the public, the American workers who lost jobs to global outsourcing companies have been largely silent. Until recently. Now some of the workers who were displaced are starting to speak out, despite severance agreements prohibiting them from criticizing their former employers. Marco Peña was among about 150 technology workers who were laid off in April by Abbott Laboratories, a global health care conglomerate with headquarters here. They handed in their badges and computer passwords, and turned over their work to a company based in India. But Mr. Peña, who had worked at Abbott for 12 years, said he had decided not to sign the agreement that was given to all departing employees, which included a nondisparagement clause. Mr. Peña said his choice cost him at least $10, 000 in severance pay. But on an April evening after he walked out of Abbott’s campus here for the last time, he spent a few hours in a local bar at a gathering organized by technology worker advocates, speaking his mind about a job he had loved and lost. “I just didn’t feel right about signing,” Mr. Peña said. “The clauses were pretty blanket. I felt like they were eroding my rights. ” Leading members of Congress from both major parties have questioned the nondisparagement agreements, which are commonly used by corporations but can prohibit ousted workers from raising complaints about what they see as a misuse of temporary visas. Lawmakers, including Richard Durbin of Illinois, the Senate Democrat, and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, have proposed revisions to visa laws to include measures allowing former employees to contest their layoffs. “I have heard from workers who are fearful of retaliation,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. “They are told they can say whatever they want, except they can’t say anything negative about being fired. ” Lawyers said the paragraph Mr. Peña and other workers object to in their separation agreements is routine in final contracts with employees who are paid severance as they leave, whether they were laid off or resigned voluntarily. “It’s a very, very common practice,” said Sheena R. Hamilton, an employment lawyer at Dowd Bennett in St. Louis who represents companies in workplace cases. “I’ve never recommended a settlement that didn’t have a clause like that. ” But former Abbott employees said the provisions had stopped them from speaking openly with elected officials or appearing at congressional hearings. “It is very frustrating that you can’t share your story with the public,” said one former Abbott manager, who had worked for the company for 13 years, rising to an important supervisory position. He had prepared a manual for his foreign replacements showing how to perform every detail of his work. With a disabled child who requires medical care, he said he had to take his severance and its nondisparagement clause, since it extended his medical benefits. So he asked to remain anonymous. “I’ve been laid off before, I can understand that,” he said. “But these visas were meant to fill in gaps for resources that are hard to find. This time the company actually asked me to transfer my knowledge to somebody else. That changes the equation. ” According to federal rules, temporary visas known as are for foreigners with “a body of specialized knowledge” not readily available in the labor market. The visas should be granted only when they will not undercut the wages or “adversely affect the working conditions” of Americans. But in the past five years, through loopholes in the rules, tens of thousands of American workers have been replaced by foreigners on and other temporary visas, according to Prof. Hal Salzman, a labor force expert at Rutgers University. In March, two Americans who had been laid off in 2014 by a New England power company, Eversource Energy, spoke at a news conference in Hartford even though they had signed nondisparagement agreements. Craig Diangelo, 63, and Judy Konopka, 56, said most of the 220 people facing dismissal had been required as part of their severance to train Indian immigrants with and other visas. In a protest, departing employees posted American flags outside their cubicles. As they left, they took the flags down. Mr. Diangelo took a photograph of the flags in his final days at the utility. At the time, he and Ms. Konopka spoke with reporters, including from The New York Times, but they did not want to be quoted, even without their names. In January, Senator Blumenthal spotted the photograph in an article in Computerworld, a tech industry publication, and was dismayed to learn of the layoffs so long after they happened. In a letter to the company, the senator questioned whether the dismissals were “accomplished through apparent abuses” of visas, and he demanded assurances that former employees would not be sued if they spoke with government officials. In a forceful reply, the Eversource general counsel, Gregory B. Butler, said the company had not violated any laws, and its nondisparagement provisions were a “standard form release” that did not restrict former employees from discussing their layoffs “with you or anyone else. ” Mr. Diangelo said he was not so sure the company would refrain from legal action if he spoke to the news media. But, he said, “I finally got to the point where I am tired of hiding in the shadows. ” Two years later, his work with a local tech contracting company pays $45, 000 a year less than his Eversource salary. Many of his former are also struggling, Mr. Diangelo said, but stay quiet to avoid provoking the company. At Abbott, executives announced in February that technology jobs would be taken over by the Indian company Wipro. Senator Durbin, who is from Illinois, criticized the layoffs and said Abbott’s nondisparagement clause was “overly broad. ” According to a copy of the agreement, that clause read, in part: “You agree to make every effort to maintain and protect the reputation of Abbott and its products and agents. ” A spokesman for Abbott, Scott Stoffel, said the changes were part of its efforts to “remain globally competitive and a strong U. S. employer. ” He said the company would retain “the vast majority” of its tech jobs in the United States. Nondisparagement clauses like Abbott’s are “very common” in severance agreements, he said. Mr. Peña said he could afford to turn down his severance payment because he is single and has no children. “I was the only one with the ability to put my foot down,” he said. He received consistently positive work reviews, and a merit raise weeks before his layoff, he said. With no indication that poor performance was a factor, he believed it was a measure to cut costs. “Anything that had to deal with technology and resolving problems, that was my satisfaction, my passion,” Mr. Peña said. “But these days that has no bearing on the decision making of the executives in the higher positions. ” Abbott tried to reduce the role of foreigners in the layoffs. Only about 20 percent of the workers brought in by Wipro would be foreigners on visas, Mr. Stoffel said, while the rest would be American workers. Mr. Peña said he had been told at first that he would train his Wipro replacements. But after Senator Durbin’s rebuke, Wipro workers were trained only by employees who would be remaining with Abbott, he said. He and 13 other former Abbott employees filed federal claims saying they faced discrimination because of their ages and American citizenship, said Sara Blackwell, a lawyer representing them. Those claims are confidential. Ms. Blackwell organized the tavern meeting where Abbott workers were invited to mourn their jobs. Of the small group that came, only Mr. Peña spoke up. On April 20, about two dozen employees of EmblemHealth, a health insurer, protested outside its offices in Manhattan after the company announced that it would transfer about 200 tech jobs to Cognizant, another technology outsourcing company. Even though they were in the street holding signs, the employees declined to have their names used in news reports. | 1 |
Gay man finds it in himself to tolerate religious person 01-11-16 A GAY man has met a Christian who appears civilised and could even be described as nice. Tom Booker met church-goer Wayne Hayes when he started working in his office, and has expressed his surprise that he ‘really couldn’t tell’. Booker said: “We often end up in the kitchen at the same time to make a cup of tea, so we started exchanging pleasantries and worked up to longer conversations. “He was always nice enough and talked about his family and allotment and stuff, so I presumed he was just a normal person. However, a few weeks later he mentioned something about believing in God. “I was really shocked, but he seemed very cool about it. I asked if he thought it was just a phase and he said no, he’d been feeling this way since he was about nine. “I wanted to ask him what Christians actually do in church, but I got worried that he might think I’m secretly into it and try to recruit me. He hasn’t mentioned it since. “It’s almost as if it’s a perfectly acceptable way to live your life, which has really given me pause for thought. “Just because you expect someone to be a massively judgemental dickhead, it doesn’t mean they will be.”
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If the Williams sisters are to face off in Arthur Ashe Stadium once again, it will be in the semifinals. In their long and storied careers, Serena and Venus Williams have played each other at the United States Open in the fourth round, the quarterfinals (twice) and the final (twice) but never in the tournament’s penultimate round. Serena Williams, a United States Open champion who is hoping to pass Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, was dealt a challenging path in Friday’s draw for the United States Open, which is set to begin Monday. She faces the 2014 semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova in the first round, then may meet the former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round, and the current No. 5 Simona Halep in the quarterfinals. Venus Williams, who at No. 6 has her highest ranking in more than five years, landed in the quarter of the draw with No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska. Williams, 36, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon last month and won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the Rio Olympics. The surprise singles gold medalist Mónica Puig of Puerto Rico gained a seeding, at No. 32, when Sloane Stephens withdrew Friday morning. In the third round, she could meet No. 3 Garbiñe Muguruza, whom she thrashed, at the Olympics. No. 8 Madison Keys and No. 28 CoCo Vandeweghe are also in Muguruza’s quarter, and they could face each other in the third round. Roberta Vinci, last year’s surprise finalist, is in the bottom quarter with No. 2 Angelique Kerber, who could overtake Serena Williams for the No. 1 ranking if Williams fails to reach the semifinals. Petra Kvitova, a Wimbledon champion, could face Kerber in the fourth round. Novak Djokovic, the men’s top seed and defending champion, has a difficult draw of his own, along with a left wrist injury he has been struggling with since the Olympics. He will open against Jerzy Janowicz, a 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist with a booming serve. Djokovic could face another big server, No. 20 John Isner, in the fourth round, and has a possible quarterfinal matchup against Marin Cilic, the recent Cincinnati champion and 2014 United States Open winner. No. 4 Rafael Nadal and No. 5 Milos Raonic loom as possible semifinal opponents. Two of the most promising American teenagers were placed in Djokovic’s quarter, pitted against more established countrymen. Taylor Fritz, 18, will face No. 26 Jack Sock, whom he lost to in five tumultuous sets in the first round of the Australian Open. Frances Tiafoe, 18, opens against Isner. No. 14 Nick Kyrgios could face another young Australian, No. 17 Bernard Tomic, in the third round, and possibly Stan Wawrinka, whom Kyrgios had a with at a tournament last year, in the fourth round. Wawrinka, who has supplanted the injured Roger Federer at No. 3, has his own early hurdle in the first round against Fernando Verdasco, who upset Nadal in the first round of this year’s Australian Open. The standout in Wawrinka’s quarter, however, is Juan Martín del Potro, who needed a wild card to enter the main draw despite his resurgent form and a silver medal in Rio. Del Potro could face the American man, Steve Johnson, in the second round. Andy Murray, the Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medalist, has No. 6 Kei Nishikori as the highest seed in his quarter. While the bracket is set for the 254 main draw matches, there have already been 224 qualifying matches. The most improbable qualifier is Christian Harrison, 22, a American junior who has missed years with myriad injuries and surgeries. He defeated Steven Diez of Canada, to reach his first Grand Slam main draw. He joins his older brother, Ryan, who also reached the main draw through qualifying. As Christian walked off the court, he was handed a cellphone. Ryan, who was in the midst of playing a World TeamTennis final in Forest Hills, was on the line. “Love you, dude,” Christian said. CiCi Bellis, who was a fan favorite at the 2014 United States Open when she advanced to the second round as a made the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since, with a (5) victory over Alison Van Uytvanck on Friday. | 1 |
“Do I know the risk involved in reporting on such things?” Reporting? I think you need to refresh yourself of that word’s definition. | 0 |
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal inquiry into the fatal shooting of a deaf motorist by a state trooper last week. The death has raised questions about the use of deadly force by police officers and about how they interact with the disabled. The motorist, Daniel K. Harris, 29, was shot and killed by the trooper, Jermaine Saunders, just after 6 p. m. last Thursday after Mr. Harris failed to pull over during a traffic stop near Charlotte, Sgt. Michael Baker, a spokesman for the state’s highway patrol, said in a statement. “After a brief pursuit,” Sergeant Baker said, “the driver exited his vehicle, and an encounter took place between the driver and the trooper, causing a shot to be fired. The driver succumbed to his injuries at the scene. ” The authorities declined to provide any further information about the nature of the encounter between Mr. Harris, who was white, and Trooper Saunders, who is black, or to say whether the trooper believed his life was in danger before he opened fire. Investigators have not commented on what role Mr. Harris’s disability may have played, but his brother said he believed his death was the product of a police department that does not know how to interact with those who are deaf or hard of hearing. “Being shot by the police is just not acceptable,” the victim’s brother, Sam Harris, who is also deaf, said through an interpreter during a video interview with Reuters. “If the officer had known that he was deaf, it would have ended differently, and he would still be around with family, and life would be going on. He’d be happy. ” But on Tuesday, Frank L. Perry, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, urged the public to “refrain from making assumptions or drawing conclusions prior to the internal and independent reviews. ” “Any loss of life regardless of the circumstances is truly a tragic and sad event for all involved,” he said in a statement. “While the Highway Patrol, the State Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney’s office conduct their respective reviews, we are keeping all those affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers. ” Jay Ruderman, the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which works for the rights of people with disabilities, said police departments needed to train officers to respond to the needs of the disabled. “People with disabilities will be safer the more the police are properly trained in this regard, and it needs to happen now before more tragedies occur,” Mr. Ruderman said in a statement. “Whether a person is deaf, autistic or has a chronic health problem, these disabilities are often not understood by police officers when encountering them on the streets. ” Investigators from the bureau of investigation interviewed Trooper Saunders on Tuesday night and planned to meet with Mecklenburg County’s district attorney, R. Andrew Murray, in the coming days, said Shannon O’Toole, a spokesman for the bureau. He said Trooper Saunders had been placed on administrative leave. The agency investigates 90 to 95 percent of the shootings in the state, Mr. O’Toole said, and when it “is requested to conduct an shooting investigation, we do so, with the intent that each and every case is going to trial. ” The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that since 2008 Mr. Harris had been charged with traffic offenses and other misdemeanors, including petty theft, in Connecticut, Florida and Colorado. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to speeding in Florida and also pleaded guilty to interfering with or resisting the police in Connecticut, The A. P. said. | 1 |
DALLAS — From a young age, Brent Thompson pushed the bounds of life so hard that he almost always found a way to get hurt. There was that time as a youngster when he nearly broke his neck playing in a hammock. Or when he wrecked his brother’s Mustang after begging him for the keys. Or the time he broke his arm during motorcycle training for the Police Department. It was his fearlessness and desire to serve his country that led Mr. Thompson to join the Marines and, after returning from deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, to become a police officer, his longtime pastor, Rick Lamb, said Wednesday. So it came as no surprise to people close to Mr. Thompson, 43, that when gunfire started ringing out during a protest here last Thursday, he was one of the officers running toward the shooting. This time, however, Mr. Thompson suffered the ultimate injury. He and four other officers were killed when a black Army veteran upset over killings by the police across the country opened fire, targeting white officers, the authorities said. The grim process of moving forward from one of America’s deadliest mass shootings of police officers began on Wednesday when Mr. Thompson, who worked for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police, and Sr. Cpl. Lorne Ahrens of the Dallas Police Department were given their final during funerals that were by turns emotional and quippy. A private service was held Wednesday for another Dallas officer, Sgt. Michael J. Smith, and a public memorial is planned on Thursday. Services for the fourth victim, Officer Michael Krol, will be Friday, and the funeral for the fifth victim, Officer Patrick Zamarripa, will be Saturday. Even as mourners, including hundreds of officers who came here from across the country, took tentative steps forward, they acknowledged the cathartic backdrop against which Wednesday’s services took place: in a country rived by a debate over race and policing, upended by vast protests and nationwide soul searching. “Though I’m heartbroken and hurt, I’m going to put on my badge and my uniform and return to the street along with all of my brothers and sisters in blue,” Mr. Thompson’s wife, Emily, who is also a police officer, said with a shaky but steely voice. “To the coward that tried to break me and my brothers and sisters, know your hate made us stronger. ” The couple had married about two weeks before the shooting. Only about 12 hours before Mr. Thompson was shot, his wife had filed their marriage license with government authorities, Mr. Lamb said. About 8:15 that night, the couple spoke on the phone. “My shift’s over in 45 minutes, and then I’ll be home,” Mr. Thompson told his wife, according to Mr. Lamb. “He told her he loved her, and that’s the last time that he ever spoke to her. ” Mr. Thompson leaves behind six children from a previous marriage. He was a music enthusiast who occasionally played guitar and would send his children songs with his cellphone to see if they could recognize the tune. The funeral reflected the nuances of the conversation on race and policing that has enveloped the country. The service was held in the Potter’s House, the West Dallas megachurch where T. D. Jakes is the pastor. A noticeably diverse cast of officers filled the seats. Among them was Emily Thompson’s patrol partner, a black man, who stood next to her as she read her words of remembrance about her husband. As Brenda Lee, who is black and works for the Transit Police, sang “I Can Only Imagine,” her voice resonated with a gospel flair. Several people stood, some raising their arms in worship, when she hit the long notes. And among the final speakers was the chief of the Transit Police, James D. Spiller, who is black. It was a diverse showing in remembrance of a white man from a small town 55 miles south of Dallas. “Brent respected and loved all people, regardless of what color they were, where they came from,” Mr. Lamb said. But the reality was that Wednesday’s services were taking place beneath a cloud of national racial tension, and about 30 miles away from Mr. Thompson’s funeral, F. B. I. agents in camouflage and tactical gear were providing security outside Mr. Ahrens’s service in Plano. Friends and colleagues of Mr. Ahrens, 48, recalled his seemingly quixotic journey from his native Los Angeles to Dallas. He drove here with nothing but his dog and a few possessions stuffed into his Toyota. He slept on the floor of his apartment early in his police training because he had no bed. When a woman named Katrina first approached him, he was too shy to speak. She later became his wife, and they went on to have two children. “Your dad was doing what he was supposed to do,” the Rev. Rick Owen, senior pastor of Mr. Ahrens’s church, Pathway Church in Burleson, Tex. told the fallen officer’s daughter and son during the service. The Dallas mayor and police chief sat in attendance as Mr. Ahrens was remembered as a lover of guns and heavy metal music who did not know his own strength. He once bent a police car door on accident during training. “When you were on the radio screaming for help, you could count on Lorne to be the first to be there,” Sr. Cpl. Debbie Taylor said. The funerals drew officers from places as as South Carolina and Indiana. “At times like this, we feel like we stand alone,” said Rick Keys, a lieutenant with the North Charleston, S. C. Police Department, who drove 15 hours with three of his colleagues to attend Mr. Thompson’s funeral. “It means a lot to the families to see the officers come from so far. ” Robert Parker, the assistant chief of police in Watauga, a city about 30 miles west of Dallas, said he hoped that this could be an opportunity for police departments and the communities they serve to come together. “We have a long way to go before we get where we need to be,” he said after Mr. Thompson’s funeral. “One of the things that I’ve talked to my wife about, and many others, is everybody on all sides of this, whether it’s Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, everyone needs to sit back and gain all the truth and the facts of each case before they pass judgment. If we do that and then we have an open dialogue and sit down and look at each other’s points of view, maybe we can go through this without further violence. ” After Mr. Thompson’s funeral, hundreds of officers lined up outside, saluting his coffin as an honor guard fired off a gun salute. The department then did what is known as a last call. A radio dispatcher, over a loudspeaker, called for Mr. Thompson, by his name and badge number, three times. When he did not answer, she said a final goodbye. “We will miss you, Brent,” she said. “You will never be forgotten. ” | 1 |
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and the first major GOP figure to endorse President Donald Trump, is calling out House Speaker Paul Ryan for what she says is “ . ”[Ryan introduced what he calls the “American Health Care Act,” a bill that does not repeal Obamacare but only amends it. For the last several days, senior Republicans ranging from members of the House Freedom Caucus to other House Republicans to Sens. Tom Cotton ( ) Rand Paul ( ) Mike Lee ( ) and more have raised serious concerns with the bill. Some call it Obamacare 2. 0, others call it Obamacare Lite or and now Palin — in her first interview on the topic, coming on Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM 125 the Patriot Channel this weekend — calls it “ . ” “I do want to speak about this, but I am tempted to say not another word from our fearless leaders about this new form of Obamacare that I’m going to call — not another word from them until we are definitively told that there is no provision whatsoever allowing Congress to exempt itself whatsoever with this law,” Palin said. “As with anything else mandated by Congress, every single dotted I and crossed T better apply to them, too, and not just the people who they are lording this thing over because remember this is health care, the system that requires enrollment in an unaffordable, unsustainable, unwanted, unconstitutional continuation of medicine, and even in this new proposal, there is still an aspect of socialism. That’s the whole premise here. ” Palin expressed serious concern with the fact that Ryan’s healthcare bill does not eliminate Obamacare’s individual mandate. It just shifts the mandate — which requires all Americans to purchase a health insurance plan even if they do not want one. Under Obamacare, those who do not comply, pay a tax to the federal government. Under Ryan’s plan, those who not comply, pay a fee to the insurance companies. “This 30 percent additional fee will be collected by some in the private sector, which will mean politicians are allowed again to pick the winners and losers, and it makes you wonder who’s lobbying hardest for aspects of this new bill because obviously there are special interests involved. Otherwise, certain private sector segments of our economy wouldn’t be rewarded as they will be with this fee, instead of going to the IRS going to private companies,” Palin said. “It would be really helpful if every single one of these politicians would do like the NASCAR drivers do — and it’s been said before — but let them wear their sponsors plastered all over their suits when they show up so we know what side they’re on and who they’re actually doing their bidding for. ” At this time, House GOP leadership officials are refusing to answer which lobbyists specifically were involved in writing the bill and which lobbyists wrote which parts of the legislation. Palin told Breitbart News that it’s a “great question” for leadership officials that they should answer because the public deserves to know. “That’s a great question. That’s a great question,” Palin said when informed of the fact that House GOP leaders have refused to answer which lobbyists were involved in writing the legislation. “The people want to know with this we know that it helps Big pharma and big lobbyists who need big government to stay in business. We want to and have the right to know who’s actually putting pen to paper and writing this because we know the politicians don’t write the laws. ” Palin also praised Cotton and Paul and Rep. Dave Brat ( ) among others, who are standing up and pushing back on this rush from leadership on this bill. She says that they are “right” in pushing to make sure the process is not rushed in the way that Ryan has been rushing it through the House so far. In fact, this past week, the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees stayed in session all night to ram the bill down to the next stages, rather than taking input from the American people and slowly deliberating the process of healthcare reform. “Cotton is right. Dr. Rand Paul is right. Dave Brat is right. Some of these public servants are right in saying, ‘Let’s do it right this time’ because, remember, the rush job under Obamacare gave us what we’re having to deal with today, which is the devastating system that is again lorded over us,” Palin said. “They passed it with their process of theirs. It’s very important that the people are allowed to see what’s in the bill before its first draft so we know what their thinking is, so we know what the difference is between Obamacare and . ” “But we can’t lose sight of the entire premise between the whole and the arguments,” she continued. “It’s so wrong because it’s still so unconstitutional. It’s still taxation without representation. It still picks winners and losers because some corporations get to opt out of the requirements that hit everyone else. It still infringes on states’ rights, and it still weaponizes the IRS against Americans who just simply seek freedom and choices and sensibility in their families’ health care. The IRS will be taxing aspects of this without representation because we have no choice. We’re shackled to politicians’ whims and special interests’ bullying interests, which does violate the Constitution, and it actually allows government to have a lien on our health. ” “People need to know it’s the foundation, it’s the premise,” Palin said. “I don’t know why we’re still even giving an inch on aspects of socialized medicine via this new proposal. Is that okay with conservatives, with Republicans in office? They say they want the patient first. They say they want freedom. They say they want a free market to drive the insurance system that we have in America. But no, government is still in control. Government actually has a lien on our health because they lord over us penalties if we want to opt out of a big government mandate. ” When asked what she would say to Ryan if he were on Breitbart News Saturday with her this weekend — Ryan has refused to come on the program to discuss these matters and will not answer Breitbart News’s questions about the bill — Palin said she has lots for Ryan to explain here. But she also noted that Republicans agree that Obamacare is awful and needs to be repealed. “There is much that we agree on,” Palin said. “Thank the Lord, we all agree that Obamacare is devastating of our economy. That’s what health care encompasses. Once the government took it over — it obviously is unaffordable, unsustainable and unwanted. So, from the thank the Lord we all have that in common, and we want to do away with Obamacare. I would ask Paul Ryan’s forgiveness if I come across sounding like I’m just whining and complaining about a problem without proposing a solution. Like Teddy Roosevelt said, that is the definition of whining. So I want to propose solutions, and I want Paul Ryan to listen to the people who are suggesting that, okay, if government is going to be this involved in our healthcare system and choices, then allow the states to take this over. Get it out of big government’s hands. The most responsive level of government is that which is closest to the people. If you’re not going to allow individuals to have the freedoms and the autonomy and the choices provided in their health care, at least let it be a states’ rights issue. So that’s one. ” “And then let’s talk about the tort reform that I still don’t see in the new proposal,” Palin continued. “I’d like Paul Ryan to address that more clearly. I’d like him to really talk about how he proposes to tackle the waste and the fraud in the healthcare system. I’d really like him to talk about the interstate commerce allowance now because we know that that has caused a lack of competition, and I really want him to address just that good old American freedom of choice. How can he convince the American people that this isn’t just still big government in bed with big pharma and big Wall Street and sticking it to the people with all its globaloney that was part of Obamacare. How is this any different?” Palin concluded the interview by noting that she has the utmost confidence that President Trump will move to scrap Ryan’s bill and fix this whole process before this gets out of hand. “He will step in and fix it,” Palin said. “I have great faith that President Trump is one who will fulfill campaign promises. He already has a track record of doing so well in these first months, I’m just really proud to have been part of the constituency that wanted him in there and worked hard to get him in there. So, yeah, I’m sure that President Trump is going to do the right thing and listen to all sides, of course, but understand, especially, that as a businessman, he’s going to understand whether this makes sense in his vision of how to grow businesses and how to get government off our back and back on our side. How will we create a smaller, smarter government with a proposal like this that basically allows for the continuation of a growth of government? That’s what any aspect of Obamacare or does. So asking President Trump specifically about how running a business, not a Wall Street business, but main street business, how does help their business get to grow and drive and survive in this economy?” LISTEN TO FORMER ALASKA GOV. SARAH PALIN ON BREITBART NEWS SATURDAY: | 1 |
Saudi’s threaten OPEC oil freeze over Iran row November 04, 2016 A gas flame is seen in the desert near the Khurais oilfield, Saudi Arabia June 23, 2008. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji/File Photo
Saudi Arabia has threatened to cancel the scheduled OPEC oil freeze by raising output over row with Iran. OPEC sources: Saudi Arabia threatened to raise oil output steeply to bring prices down if Iran refuses to limit its supply. According to four OPEC sources: Clash occurred at last weeks experts meeting designed to work out details before official Nov. 30 gathering. OPEC source: "The Saudis have threatened to raise their production to 11 million barrels per day and even 12 million bpd, bringing oil prices down, and to withdraw from the meeting.” OPEC Source: The Saudi threat followed objections by Iran, which said it was unwilling to freeze its output. OPEC Source: Saudi threat to raise output came as a surprise even to Riyadh's Gulf OPEC allies. Non-Iranian OPEC Source: "We felt as if they (the Saudis) wanted the meeting to fail.” Saudi Arabia has increased output since 2014 to record highs of around 10.5 million-10.7 million barrels per day. In September: OPEC agreed at a meeting in Algeria on modest preliminary oil output cuts in the first such deal since 2008. Iran has reported its output at 3.85 million bpd in Sep., and said they will only cap output at 12.7 percent of OPEC's total ceiling - or 4.2 million bpd. Ali Kardor, managing director of NIOC: "Working in oil industry is like operating at war fronts and we have to preserve our trenches by raising our production capacity as much as we can.” Kardor: “The next OPEC meeting is near and we will never cease to recapture our quota in the organization.” OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo: I am ”optimistic" a final agreement will be reached. OPEC delegate: "People can look at it from different angles. The fact that discussions are still going on is a positive one. They are going to work on it, close to the ministers’ meeting.”
(DUBAI/LONDON) Old disputes between Saudi Arabia and rival Iran resurfaced at a meeting of OPEC experts last week, with Riyadh threatening to raise oil output steeply to bring prices down if Tehran refuses to limit its supply, OPEC sources say.
Clashes between the two OPEC heavyweights, which are fighting proxy wars in Syria and Yemen, have become frequent in recent years.
Tensions subsided, however, in recent months after Saudi Arabia agreed to support a global oil supply limiting pact, thus raising the prospect that OPEC would take steps to boost oil prices.
But a meeting of OPEC experts last week, designed to work out details of cuts for the next OPEC ministerial gathering on Nov. 30, saw Saudis and Iranian clashing again, according to four OPEC sources who were present at the meeting and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
"The Saudis have threatened to raise their production to 11 million barrels per day and even 12 million bpd, bringing oil prices down, and to withdraw from the meeting," one OPEC source who attended the meeting told Reuters.
OPEC headquarters declined to comment on discussions during the closed-door meetings last week. Saudi and Iranian OPEC delegates also declined official comments. | 0 |
Spike Lee has some explaining to do. [Three days after the leftist filmmaker, and avowed Kaepernick supporter, took to Instagram to thank Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll for signing Colin Kaepernick, a report has emerged that the Seahawks in fact have no intention of signing Colin Kaepernick. According to Pro Football Talk, “Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio said today that he doesn’t expect the Seahawks to sign Kaepernick. That’s particularly noteworthy because Kirwan has a long and close relationship with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, dating to their time together when Carroll was defensive coordinator and then head coach of the Jets from 1990 to 1994. Kirwan didn’t say Carroll was the source of his belief that Kaepernick won’t be a Seahawk, but it seems unlikely that Kirwan would have bad information about the team his old friend coaches. ” Seattle, much like San Francisco, is one of the biggest liberal outposts on the left coast. Considering the activism of players like Doug Baldwin, and the fact that Pete Carroll himself is a truther and an Iraq war critic to boot, if Seattle ever truly had interest in Kaepernick it’s unlikely that interest would have evaporated over Kaepernick’s politics or because of a perceived backlash over his politics. What’s more likely is that Kaepernick and the Seahawks couldn’t agree on financial terms. Seattle doesn’t have a ton of cap space and Kaepernick probably doesn’t want to play for the veteran minimum, especially considering that he could likely find himself in a much more powerful financial bargaining position later, should a team lose a starter and all of a sudden become desperate for a starting quarterback. Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn | 1 |
Well it was a no brainer for Killery to want everybody to vote for her before all the info on her wild e-mail handling came out.
There are a lot of states that will not allow you to change your early vote!!
I don’t think it will matter because she will more than likely have the electoral vote in her favor.
And yes if google was checking this trend they more than likely would have molested it by now.
Let’s prey that enough people in the swing states that allow people to change their vote will do so. | 0 |
Thursday in an interview with POLITICO Playbook, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( ) signaled Mexico would not pay for the border wall as President Donald Trump has proposed. When asked, “Do you believe Mexico will pay for it,” McConnell said, “Uh, no,” ( Politico) Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 1 |
Illnois Republican Rep. Peter Roskam told Chicago’s that he supported the American Health Care Act crafted by Speaker Paul Ryan ( ) as a necessary fix of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Obamacare. [“It was an improvement as to where we are now,” he said told the station. There is a restlessness among the people in his district about Obamacare and what will be done with it, he said. The congressman said during the battle over the Ryancare bill, he heard from constituents who have been hurt by Obamacare and people helped by Obamacare. In the final bill, Roskam said he received assurances in writing that Illinois would not lose Medicaid protections. He said he was comfortable with concessions given to the House Freedom Caucus, including modifying the Essential Health Benefits — those items required for all policies — so that the EHB’s were determined the states. “My view was that on balance, this bill was a step forward,” he said. “Friday was a big disappointment because the bill got pulled, because there was not a lot of support for it so moving forward, there was this notion that this was the healthcare debate, and I don’t believe that is true for a second,” he said. One of the reasons the bill did not pass was that the speaker crafted the bill to meet the requirements of the Senate’s rules governing budget bills, he said. “It is so complicated and so difficult to understand that nobody even hardly understands what you are talking about,” Roskam said. “The better move in the past would have been to pass out of the House — even though it’s not going to move in the Senate — the actual proposal — what is it you are for? Not with limitations, what are the aspirations?” Roskam said he is convinced that in the coming weeks, there will be a serious move to reengage the House Republicans about reforming national healthcare policy. “We can’t stay here,” he said. The next move should be to go back to the two things every American agreed about when President Barack Obama first started the Obamacare debate, he said. First, health care is too expensive and many of the cost drivers are not making us any healthier, he said. Second, it bothered everyone that Americans with conditions did not have access to insurance coverage. “If the Obama administration had focused on those two core things, we would be having a very different conversation about health care today,” he said. | 1 |
SYDNEY, Australia — Christmas and New Year in Australia typically involve barbecues, beaches and beer. But a Christmas Day celebration that drew more than 10, 000 people has led to a suspension of that tradition on Coogee Beach in the Sydney suburb of Randwick, where officials estimate that revelers left behind more than 16 tons of garbage. The City Council banned alcohol on the beach for the rest of the Australian summer. “I’m a local, and in all my time here I’ve never seen anything like it,” Tony Waller, president of the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, told Channel 7, adding that the club used four oxygen cylinders and 15 resuscitation masks to treat drunken partygoers. “By late evening, it got so bad that we let the shark alarm off three times to try to get the swimmers out of the water, we had such grave concerns for them,” Mr. Waller said. “They were all intoxicated. ” Three people were arrested over “antisocial behavior,” according to the police. There has long been tension between the residents who live near Sydney’s beaches and the tourists, many of them foreign, who hold and parties fueled by alcohol and drugs and leave behind piles of trash that greet early morning joggers and swimmers. “I’ve seen sex on Bondi Beach on Christmas afternoon,” Mark Cotter, president of the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, said in an interview, referring to a beach north of Coogee. “People are often off their heads, drunk and sunburned. ” At Bondi Beach, the local council has also banned alcohol consumption. But many residents say that beer, along with cannabis and other drugs, is openly consumed on a grassy area where turntables and D. J. s entertain crowds. “The grassy knoll at north Bondi is the place to be seen on Saturdays and Sundays as it attracts buff bodies and bikinis,” Zak Mann, a Bondi resident, said in an interview. “It’s cheaper to drink on the street than in the swanky, upmarket bars. ” The police and rangers employed by local councils have the authority to confiscate unopened alcohol and pour out alcohol being consumed on Bondi Beach, said Tony Kay, who oversees the council for Waverley, a Sydney suburb. The police in Sydney often simply warn those found in possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis leaf, enough for 15 to 25 joints. The City Council in Randwick said that it had previously restricted alcohol consumption at Coogee Beach and its surrounding parks during certain hours of the day in an effort to stop bad behavior. “However, the poor and inappropriate behavior of a few on Christmas Day have forced the council to introduce a total alcohol ban for the area for summer,” it said. “The public outrage to the devastation of the parks and beach itself on Christmas Day has been quite phenomenal. ” | 1 |
RALEIGH, N. C. — There have been four years of civil disobedience, boycotts over bathroom access, and legal battles over voting laws and gerrymanders. The election for governor, fraught with Republican challenges, took a month to settle. But if anyone here thought that the Democrat Roy Cooper’s victory in that race would open a new era of cooperation and calm in this bitterly divided state, all they had to do was listen on Thursday to the bellowing voice of Evan Hughes, a lettuce farmer from Durham. Around noon, Mr. Hughes, 35, was in front of North Carolina’s legislative offices with a child in his arms, berating the executive director of the state Republican Party for the group’s gambit to strip Mr. Cooper of many of his powers as governor before he even takes office. “We’re talking about changing the rules at the last minute,” Mr. Hughes said. “The people of North Carolina are sick and tired of the G. O. P. ’s antics — antics. It is embarrassing to the people of North Carolina. ” Dallas Woodhouse, the Republican official, had initially tried to engage Mr. Hughes. But he eventually fled into the building, where lawmakers from his party introduced a flurry of bills during a surprise special session this week to undermine Mr. Cooper by stripping him of his ability to make key appointments to state and local boards and mandating, for the first time, legislative approval of his cabinet. The legislative session generated reminders of one in March that led to the divisive “bathroom bill” that limited gay and transgender rights. It further cemented the perception of North Carolina as a place that has gone from a symbol of pragmatic New South moderation to one in a perpetual state of political civil war. The law passed in March, known as House Bill 2, is seen as playing a role in Mr. Cooper’s defeat of Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican. The General Assembly went into a special session to pass the bill, and Mr. McCrory signed it the same night. It resulted in boycotts by sports leagues and musicians. “We don’t want another disaster like House Bill 2,” Mr. Cooper said at a news conference on Thursday. “This is exactly why we had problems with House Bill 2 because they wanted to do it in secret. ” The new legislation moved quickly through committees and floor votes on Thursday, where Republicans hold large majorities in both chambers. In separate incidents, both the State Senate and House galleries were closed and cleared of protesters after outbursts interrupted proceedings. Senators passed one of the major bills, which removes partisan control of the state and county election boards from the governor. Currently, the boards, which set hours and polling places and adjudicate ballot disputes, have a majority from the governor’s party. Under the new law, the boards will have bipartisan memberships, but a Republican will lead the state board during election years and a Democrat in nonelection years. The House passed another key bill, enhancing the power of the state superintendent of education, who is a newly elected Republican, and mandating Senate approval of Mr. Cooper’s cabinet appointments, a significant shackling of the governor’s authority. Both the and bills were scheduled to be taken up by the other chamber on Friday. The special session stunned North Carolinians of both the right and the left who had been hoping for a cooling off from the state’s recent years of hyperpartisanship. “We didn’t think it would be from before Day 1,” said Rick Henderson, editor of Carolina Journal, a publication of the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank in Raleigh. Mr. Cooper, who, while a member of the legislature, once helped replace a Speaker of the House with a conservative Democrat, has been a relatively nonconfrontational attorney general of his state, Mr. Henderson said. But the angrily attacked Republicans on Thursday. “They will see me in court,” he warned. It is not clear if Democrats have any legal recourse. Few states are quite as bitterly divided as this one, but there are hints here, too, of what may be in store for a nation that is just as divided and bruised after the presidential election. On Thursday afternoon, the chants of liberal protesters filled the area outside of the Senate viewing gallery. “Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!” they chanted. The police led a number of protesters, who had refused to leave the House gallery, away in plastic wrist ties. “Thank you we love you!” the protesters cheered as they were escorted out. The group, which numbered in the hundreds, chanted and sang. Mr. Cooper termed the moves by the General Assembly as not so much a power grab, but an attempt to reach deep into his administration to extend conservative priorities on taxes, education and the environment. The said Republicans seeking leverage over his administration were hoping to add to their policy wish list, channeling taxpayer dollars into vouchers and weakening environmental protections. Republicans, who for more than a century were held in a hammerlock by Democrats in charge of the state’s legislature, defended the moves under the principle that turnabout is fair play. They cited how Democrats stripped power from a Republican lieutenant governor in the 1980s. “They completely defenestrated the lieutenant governor’s office,” Mr. Henderson said. “So this is not an unprecedented move at all. ” Mr. Cooper rejected the comparison. “That is just not true,” he said. “What is happening now is unprecedented. ” Even as North Carolina unhitched from its conservative Southern heritage in the past decade and became a battleground state — President Obama won here in 2008 — Republicans were taking over state government. In 2010, they won a majority in the legislature for the first time in a century, carrying districts that had been drawn by Democrats to favor Democrats. When Mr. McCrory won the governor’s mansion two years later, the unified control of the party in Raleigh unleashed an avalanche of conservative legislation, from abortion restrictions to tax cuts favoring the wealthy to, most notably, a 2013 bill that made it more difficult to register and vote in the state. This year, a federal court threw out that law after finding it was passed “with almost surgical precision” to diminish the influence of voters. In August, a federal appeals court found that district maps drawn by Republicans for the 2012 General Assembly elections included more than two dozen districts that were racial gerrymanders, and the court ordered lawmakers to redraw the maps next year. Another court ruling last month required the state to use the new maps for elections to the House and Senate in the fall of 2017. If the ruling survives appeals, it would mean next year’s full session of the General Assembly would be held in an election year and be even more highly politicized than usual. The showdown between Mr. Cooper and lawmakers this week may be only an appetizer. | 1 |
10 Steps To Rolling The Perfect Joint Posted today Looking to enjoy a little bit of “relaxation”? You’ll probably want to practice the lost art of joint rolling. With just 10 easy steps, anyone can roll the perfect joint… but enjoy responsibly! Step 1: Fill the tub. Step 2: Get the weed—the dark fruit, the bush that grows in the shadow of the valley of the shadow of weed, the jester’s hiccup, the liquid daydream fresh from the ice-cube tray, the wisdom tooth of the vegetables ogre, Israeli nightshade, the Arizona iced tea of drugs, the dad baffler, the sweet teen poison, the sickly crop of the wind farm, the flower the devil dares not pick—out of your fridge. Set it aside. Step 3: A filter keeps fire from squirming into your throat and laying its eggs in your brainstem. Build the filter by pouring a mixture of egg whites and ground hen bones into a filter mold, and leave it at your parents’ house over a long weekend to set. Step 4: Get your rolling paper by stripping a few inches of skin off the Paper Wretch with a hot carrot peeler. It may take a few tries to get a good swath! Step 5: To break up the weed, place it on an active fault line in a bowl full of gravel. Step 6: Once a major tectonic event has ground your weed, pound it into a paste using a book about a curious incident. Step 7: Wrap your index finger in paper and feed the weed paste into your port. A chilly sensation means your body has accepted the paste and will pass it on. A prickling sensation means your body has rejected the paste and will hopefully pee it out someday. Step 8: Seal the joint by licking your papered-up finger like a naughty little thing. You’re filthy, aren’t you? Step 9: Remove finger, twist paper, and voilà! The perfect joint for any mouth. Step 10: Dunk the joint in the tub so you aren’t tempted to smoke it and become insane. Start over at step one!
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right on the first try. Like all things in life, practice makes perfect! | 0 |
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If you listen to all the false media hype, you would believe that Hillary Clinton has a huge lead over Donald Trump among young voters, but that may not be the case….
Willmar Senior High School in Willmar, Minnesota held a mock election among their students this past Tuesday during the lunch hour. The election was part of a statewide program designed to get young people more engaged in the election-voting process. Throughout the state of Minnesota, around 282 high schools are participating in the mock election program.
[…]
In Tuesday’s vote, around 40% of the Willmar’s 1,200 students took time during their lunch hour to cast their ballots. A total of 514 ballots were cast of which 207 were for Trump and 179 for Clinton. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson received 41 votes and Legal Marijuana Now party candidate Dan Vacek received 17 votes. A number of ballots had write-in names and other candidates received less than 10 votes. | 0 |
WASHINGTON — Donald J. Trump, defending his recent phone call with Taiwan’s president, asserted in an interview broadcast on Sunday that the United States was not bound by the One China policy, the diplomatic understanding that underpins America’s relationship with its biggest rival. Mr. Trump, speaking on Fox News, said he understood the principle of a single China that includes Taiwan, but declared, “I don’t know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade. ” “I mean, look,” he continued, “we’re being hurt very badly by China with devaluation with taxing us heavy at the borders when we don’t tax them with building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn’t be doing and, frankly, with not helping us at all with North Korea. ” Mr. Trump is not the first incoming Republican president to question the One China policy, but his suggestion that it could be used as a chip to correct Chinese behavior sets him apart, several Asia experts said. While Mr. Trump has been praised by some Republicans for taking a new look at China policy, his stance could risk a backlash by Beijing, the analysts said. Not since 1972, when President Richard M. Nixon and Mao Zedong enshrined the One China principle in the Shanghai Communiqué, has an American president or so publicly and explicitly questioned the agreement, which resulted in the United States’ ending its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in 1979. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the government had “serious concern” about Mr. Trump’s remarks, renewing a debate that erupted nine days ago when he took a congratulatory phone call from President Tsai of Taiwan. At first, Mr. Trump played down the implications of the call, saying he was just being polite. Later, his aides said he was well aware of the diplomatic repercussions of speaking to Taiwan’s leader. Lobbyists for Taiwan, including the law firm of former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, spent months laying the groundwork for the call. On Friday, China’s senior foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, met with Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, whom Mr. Trump has designated as his national security adviser, according to a person told about the meeting. It was not clear what the men had discussed. Some Republican foreign policy experts — including John R. Bolton, who is believed to be a for the post of deputy secretary of state — have praised Mr. Trump for shaking up a diplomatic agreement. As a candidate, Ronald Reagan criticized the decision to abrogate recognition of Taiwan after his election, he invited a delegation from Taiwan to attend his inauguration, antagonizing Beijing. In 1982, as president, Reagan pushed for the Six Assurances, one of which was a reaffirmation that the United States did not formally recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan. Still, he abided by the terms of the 1979 joint communiqué that established relations between the United States and China. But Mr. Trump’s suggestion that the policy could be wielded as a chip in a broader negotiation with China has implications not just for Washington’s relationship with Beijing, several experts on Asia said, but also for America’s support for Taiwan. “By putting One China up for grabs, Trump will suck all the oxygen out of the U. S. relationship, and it risks eventually trading away U. S. support for Taiwan for another U. S. interest,” said Evan Medeiros, a former senior director for Asia at the National Security Council. “There are good reasons why eight presidents since 1972 have relied on the One China policy,” he added. “This is one area where the Trump team would do well to heed the lessons of history instead of bucking them in the uncertain hope of getting something. ” Jeffrey A. Bader, Mr. Medeiros’s predecessor in the Obama administration, said the One China policy had “always been seen as a foundation of the relationship. ” “Now Trump apparently sees it as part of a broader set of new transactions,” he said. “Mixing trade with an issue seen by Beijing as involving sovereignty is likely to produce an angry Chinese backlash and worsen both issues. ” An editorial on Monday in The Global Times, a Chinese tabloid, said that Mr. Trump was “like a child in his ignorance of foreign policy. ” “The One China policy cannot be bought and sold,” the editorial said. “Trump, it seems, only understands business and believes that everything has a price. ” Mr. Trump, however, did not appear worried about inflaming Beijing. He repeated in the Fox News interview many of the criticisms he has made about China, emphasizing what he said was its unwillingness to help curb the nuclear ambitions of its neighbor North Korea — an issue that foreign policy experts believe could confront Mr. Trump as the first geopolitical crisis of his presidency. The said he would not tolerate having the Chinese government dictate whether he could take a call from the president of Taiwan. He reiterated that he had not placed the call, and described it as “a very short call saying, ‘Congratulations, sir, on the victory. ’” The Chinese government, which once viewed Mr. Trump favorably as an alternative to the hawkish Hillary Clinton, has struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s unorthodox approach. China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, initially played down the significance of the phone call, calling it a “petty action by the Taiwan side” that he said would not upset the longstanding policy of One China. But as Mr. Trump has repeated his campaign criticisms of China — and as his statements about Taiwan have rippled throughout the region — Beijing has noticeably hardened its tone. It warned him last week, in a editorial in the overseas edition of People’s Daily, that “creating troubles for the . S. relationship is creating troubles for the U. S. itself. ” In a pointed rejoinder to Mr. Trump, the editorial said that pushing China on Taiwan “would greatly reduce the chance to achieve the goal of making America great again. ” | 1 |
In Historic First, ICC Preparing to Investigate US War Crimes in Afghanistan An employee of Doctors Without Borders stands among the charred remains of a hospital hit by a U.S. airstrike in Kunduz, Afghanistan. (Najim Rahim / AP)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is preparing to initiate a full investigation into potential war crimes in Afghanistan, including those committed by U.S. military personnel, Foreign Policy exclusively reported Tuesday.
The magazine writes:
Multiple sources have indicated that the chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, will seek to initiate an investigation in the coming weeks, likely after the U.S. presidential election but before the end of the year. U.S. officials visited The Hague recently to discuss the potential investigation and to express concerns about its scope.
A formal investigation of U.S. activities would be the first in the history of the ICC, to which the U.S. is not a party. But because Afghanistan is a member, an investigation is “certainly possible,” Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies told Common Dreams. “Afghanistan joined the ICC in 2003, so all actions after that time are subject to ICC jurisdiction,” Bennis said.
“But then you get to the question of political will,” Bennis added.
The ICC has famously failed to investigate powerful Western nations while prosecuting African dictators, a disparity so glaring that several African countries recently quit the court, condemning it as the “International Caucasian Court.”
“Is the prosecutor concerned enough about the accusations of discrimination levied against the ICC that she’s willing to go after U.S. clients and U.S. officials?” Bennis asked.
Rights advocates hope that Bensouda may be willing to take aim at powerful nations. The prosecutor was behind the preliminary ICC report published last year, “Report on Preliminary Examination Activities,” which suggested that the U.S. was “responsible for ‘physical and psychological’ violence and torture that ‘debased the basic human dignity’ of those detained” in Afghanistan, as Common Dreams reported .
Indeed, photos released by the Pentagon earlier this year demonstrated the brutal abuse of detainees at the hands of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Bensouda may also probe the deadly bombing by U.S. forces of a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Foreign Policy reports. MSF has characterized the airstrike as a war crime, and rights groups have harshly criticized the Pentagon for its light punishment of those responsible for the attack.
Despite the looming investigation, Foreign Policy observes that prosecution of U.S. forces for war crimes is still a long way away and may not happen:
[Prosecution] would require significantly more evidence than the prosecutor’s office currently possesses. The ICC normally does not interview witnesses, take testimony, or gather forensic evidence during its preliminary examinations, and that work would be just the beginning.
In order to charge Americans with war crimes, Bensouda would likely also have to demonstrate a link between the conflict in Afghanistan and U.S. detention policies, which may not be easy; the United States reportedly brought several detainees to Afghanistan from other parts of the world. Perhaps most controversial, the prosecutor’s office would have to determine that the United States has failed to address allegations of torture through its own domestic prosecutions, investigations, and reviews.
Moreover, any indictments related to Afghanistan would be months if not years away. Because no ICC member has referred the situation to the court, Bensouda will need the approval of a three-judge panel before launching an investigation. ICC judges have approved all three previous investigative requests from the prosecutor (in Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, and Georgia), but their review can take several months, and the judges might request additional information before authorizing an investigation.
“Still, the readiness of the prosecutor’s office to open an investigation represents a sharp setback for President Barack Obama’s administration, which has sought several times to discourage an investigation in Afghanistan and even to avoid ICC mention of possible U.S. crimes,” Foreign Policy notes.
And once an investigation is underway, Bennis noted, the ICC prosecutor will be faced with “the question of how far up the chain of command do you go.”
“Do you start and stop with the soldier who tortured and abused detainees? This is what happened with Abu Ghraib,” Bennis explained. “Individual soldiers were slapped on the wrist. Their commanders who set the standards that said it was okay to humiliate and sexually abuse people, to tie them up naked in a dog collar and take pictures of it—the commander establishes the tone of what their work entailed, but that was never considered.”
Bennis observed: “One of the questions that will have to be dealt with by the prosecutor if she decides to go forward is: do you go all the way up? Do you go after George W. Bush for using torture as a part of U.S. strategy? TAGS: | 0 |
BALTIMORE — The FedEx package containing the junior lightweight championship belt, intended for Gervonta Davis, arrived at the gym too early in the day. Davis often trains late into the night, running the streets of Baltimore, and sleeps until midday. So it was his coach Calvin Ford — he sleeps much less, sometimes just an hour a night — who found the note when he got to Upton Boxing Center, a gym in one of the city’s most blighted neighborhoods. Ford, along with Kenny Ellis, another of Davis’s coaches, runs the training sessions at Upton five nights a week, showing young people the angles of the trade and keeping them off the same streets that Davis makes his training ground. The coaches have been involved with fighting, in one way or another, for most of their lives. Ellis, 49, is a bearded former amateur boxer who has coached at Upton since 2005. And Ford, 52, was once a violent lieutenant in the drug organization, which controlled parts of West Baltimore in the 1980s. “If I had to shoot you, I’d shoot you,” Ford said. “If I had to stab you, I’d stab you. If I had to beat you up with my hands, I’d beat you up with my hands. ” In 1988, Ford was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy. He served 10 years in a federal prison, where he learned to box. He started coaching after he was released, eventually cultivating a national amateur champion. That attracted the attention of Ed Burns, a police detective who had investigated Ford — and who became one of the creators of the HBO series “The Wire. ” He used Ford as a model for the character known as Cutty, an who opened a gym after realizing that the streets he returned to had grown harder than he could handle. Today, Ford is a man who wears track suits and reading glasses secured by a bejeweled chain, a jarringly endearing detail for someone who teaches others how to inflict pain efficiently. And he is a father figure to dozens of children who have been coming to him for nearly two decades for lessons that reach far beyond a round. Davis, his first world champion, and the youngest living professional titleholder, has been called the future of boxing by no less an authority than Floyd Mayweather Jr. When Davis, 22, entered the gym a few hours later to find a heavily taped cardboard box on the reception desk, it was Ford who handed him the scissors. Inside was a belt with a large gold logo of the International Boxing Federation, earned with a knockout of José Pedraza, who was heavily favored, in Brooklyn on Jan. 14. “Strap me up,” Davis said through a stifled grin. Ford, wearing a beanie with #STRAPSEASON printed on the front, put the belt on the Davis. The new champion posed for a picture under banners that included Angelo Ward, who trained here before he was shot to death in 2012, and a scowling version of Davis’s younger self, draped in belts and medals a decade ago. Now, with a new belt over his shoulder, Davis glowed. “I might walk up and down the avenue,” he said, gesturing to the street outside. Last year, 318 people were killed in Baltimore, the homicide total for the city on record 2015 was worse. So far this year, the city is averaging nearly a murder a day. Ford and Ellis know children who were — and still are — linked to those troubling statistics. Children, forced to fend for themselves after the killing of a parent, slipping into the current of incarceration. Young men with no prospects other than the easiest one available — the economy of addiction. Davis, whose mother struggled with drug abuse during his youth and whose father spent time in prison for selling drugs, is one of the fortunate ones. Others have not been so lucky. “Kids fall out of school because they saw the kid that they hang with get gunned down in the street,” Ellis said. After witnessing a murder, “you got to go to school the next day!” he added. “How can you do a test? How can you pass?” The kids who come through the gym’s doors at least have a chance to learn how to cope with the hopelessness outside, where, Ellis said, violence claims “a body every day. ” “Sometimes you hear gunshots, you look around the gym, like, ‘We got some in here that ain’t getting shot,’” he said. Upton is not far from where Freddie Gray was arrested in 2015, leading to the ride in a police van that left him with a spinal cord injury that killed him a week later. The drugstore that was looted and burned during the riots after his funeral is six blocks away. The neighborhood has the largest percentage of returning criminal offenders in the state, said Nick Mosby, a former mayoral candidate and City Council member who is now a state legislator. “Any barometer of success of a community, unfortunately in that ZIP code, will typically tilt towards a very unhealthy community,” said Mosby, whose wife, Marilyn, was the state’s attorney who prosecuted the Baltimore police officers charged in Gray’s death. (None were convicted.) “Poverty level, education level, unemployment rate, health disparities, you name it. ” Mosby said the children here were facing adult issues. “At the age of 7, 8, 9, 10, they’re taking care of themselves, they’re taking care of younger siblings, they’re going out, figuring out what they’re going to eat every day. ” Upton, where it costs $65 a year to train, is a refuge. The city funds the gym, though for many years Ford helped out of his own pocket — including paying for trips to competitions. “You don’t know how many cars I ran through,” Ford said, laughing. Such sacrifice has helped generate good will in the community. Upton stands apart. “You notice when you walked up on the corners, you ain’t see nobody standin’ on my corners,” Ford said. “They ain’t gonna have that nonsense around us. That show you that the people — city, street people — cares about what we are doing. ” Even with Davis’s success, and the national attention it has brought to Upton, the loss of previous fighters — those who the coaches said decided to “go left” and give in to the streets — weighs heavy. Ray Davis, a fighter Ellis trained as a teenager, is in jail after ending up on his own when his father was shot at a corner store. Ronald Gibbs, a nationally ranked amateur, was stabbed in the heart in 2012 in a dispute defending his sister. That same year, Ward, the fighter under whose banner Gervonta Davis had his picture taken, was shot nine times. He was two fights into his professional career. “Every day, his friends would come here and wait for him to finish training so they could run the streets,” Ellis said of Ward. “I said, ‘Man, you can’t have one foot in the streets and one foot in the gym. It’s not gonna work. ’” The day that Ward was killed, Ellis said, he was in his car when he received the text. “And where he got killed was like three minutes from where I was driving, so I drove around there. And they had the yellow tape around him. ” After locking his belt in its case, Gervonta (pronounced ) Davis drove a few blocks northwest and stood in front of the home he once shared with his mother and grandmother, a bitter wind tunnel of a block dotted with abandoned rowhouses. Garbage spilled into an alley framed by a rowhouse with no roof. An open Bible lay on a stoop, its pages fluttering. Davis pointed out a cactus a few doors down. He used to touch it every day as he walked to and from the elementary school at the end of the block, a child’s personal challenge to himself ahead of a career of stinging hands. When he was 7, Davis and one of his older brothers moved in with his grandmother, after bouncing between a group home and their uncle’s house. Being new to West Baltimore, the boys were quickly forced to defend themselves. Davis’s mother, Kenya Brown, said school officials who had contacted her about his frequent fighting had told her that he was “a menace to society,” but she insisted he was not an instigator. After her brother took Davis to Upton, and he took to the sport, “people really started trying him more,” she said. “He was always been short,” said Brown, 43. “He had to get staples because somebody hit him in the head. ” At his gym, Ford has a policy: If one of his fighters disrespects a teacher or starts a fight at school, the fighter has to spar with everyone in the gym that night. For Davis, it was less a stick and more a carrot. “He loved it,” Ford said. “I used to have to bring guys from different cities come down here that was bigger than him, just to punish him, and then he was beatin’ them up. ” Davis’s father, Garrin, said Upton allowed his son to avoid the lure of the streets that ensnared so many others. But it took work. “He made a lot of sacrifices,” said Garrin Davis, who got clean after his last stint in prison. “A lot of the friends that he had, because he made the choice to come here, he didn’t end up where they at. ” Gervonta Davis’s defensive instincts in the ring, and his calm demeanor, hew to the style of Mayweather, who has taken on the dual role of being Davis’s promoter and mentor. He is undefeated in 17 professional fights. All but one of his victories was by knockout. His success presents new challenges: the thorny world of professional boxing, and the rigors of grooming and marketing himself to be a star. And then there are the myriad voices in his ear. Between rounds at the Pedraza fight in January, Davis had information coming at him from the coaches in his corner and from Mayweather, who was vociferously dispensing advice from ringside. “I’ve been navigating him for years,” Ford said, ”so he’s always gonna hear my voice. But Floyd’s been to that land I haven’t been to. So he have to listen to him. ” With those challenges, however, comes opportunity. Davis’s aptitude for boxing is inexorably linked to his troubled background: There is not much in the ring that can hurt him more than the tentacles of his city’s drug trade already have. And that gives him an authenticity that rings true for his community. “His whole stance, his whole posture, his whole demeanor is Baltimore,” said Mosby, who has taken Davis to schools and juvenile prisons for outreach talks. “And these kids recognize that. Young folks will get behind an individual like Gervonta, more so than any policy that we’re able to create, more so than any other public service announcement, any other potential opportunity. ” When Davis won his title in Brooklyn in January, Ford and Mosby said, a surprisingly large contingent seemed to have made the trip to support him. “You couldn’t have told me we weren’t in Baltimore,” Mosby said. The enthusiasm from the city for one of its own is not lost on Davis. He and Ford want his next fight to be in Baltimore it would the first title bout here for a world champion from the city. Davis has chosen to remain in Baltimore, rather than uproot himself to Las Vegas to be in Mayweather’s immediate circle. By staying, he believes, he can honor the people who helped raise him — Ford and Ellis. “More than myself, they deserve the belt,” Davis said. “They go through a lot. You got to look at it. The people before me, the boxers that they lost. People that they put their blood, sweat and tears into. And the fighters that ‘go left,’ it’s not right for Calvin and Kenny. ” | 1 |
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Select Page After terrorizing America with Zika scaremongering, Washington Post now admits Zika virus doesn’t cause brain deformities after all
Posted by Madeline | Oct 26, 2016 | 2016 , Daily Blog | 0 | Thanks Nancy!
Natural News
(NaturalNews) The entire leftist media is not merely dishonest and corrupt, their science writers are unbelievably stupid and ill-informed about nearly everything in the natural world. Today, after months of printing fear-inducing “Zika terrorism” stories that scared America half to death while convincing the government to funnel billions of dollars into Zika vaccine research for Big Pharma, the Washington Post now admits it had no idea what it was talking about .
But rather than admitting its own science writers were scientifically illiterate propagandists pushing quack narratives as news, the paper now blames other scientists for the gross error by publishing a headline that’s once again dishonest and deceptive: “Scientists are bewildered by Zika’s path across Latin America,” it proclaims.
Bewildered about “Zika’s path?” The story headline should actually read, “Zika HOAX revealed… it doesn’t cause brain damage after all.” (Read it at this link .) Washington Post has been shamelessly pushing the Zika HOAX for months… with no apology to readers
In the story, writers Dom Phillips and Nick Miroff essentially reveal that what the Washington Post has been writing about the Zika virus has been based entirely in government propaganda and pandemic lies pushed by the CDC, which of course has close ties to the criminal vaccine industry:
Nearly nine months after Zika was declared a global health emergency, the virus has infected at least 650,000 people in Latin America and the Caribbean, including tens of thousands of expectant mothers.
But to the great bewilderment of scientists, the epidemic has not produced the wave of fetal deformities so widely feared when the images of misshapen infants first emerged from Brazil.
Yes, the Washington Post now says the scientists are “bewildered” that their apocalyptic scare stories that caused female athletes to skip out on the Rio Olympics and scared tens of millions of Americans into poisoning themselves with DEET (a neurotoxic chemical) turned out to be total hogwash. DEET, by the way, combines with carbamate class pesticides to cause neurological dysfunction in humans , which coincidentally increases the number of people who watch CNN or read the Washington Post.
For the record, no one who reads Natural News is surprised by this revelations that has left mainstream scientists “bewildered.” It’s not bewildering to me. I called Zika a total hoax from day one, pointing out that the brain deformities were caused by larvacide chemicals dumped into the water supply , not by Zika. See some of my stories that clearly spelled all this out months before the Washington Post had any clue what they were writing about:
March 2, 2016: Zika PAYDAY! Obama wants to funnel $1.8 billion for vaccine research and more
I even published a mini-documentary revealing the published science that shows how DEET insecticide causes brain damage in humans. You can watch it at this link or view the video below:
If anyone from the Washington Post bothered to read Natural News and learn about real science, they would have learned that Zika has infected tens of millions of people throughout South America for decades , with absolutely no measurable increase in neurological deformations. (But facts be damned, the WashPost had a panic to push!) Nation after nation records tens of thousands of infections with ZERO birth defects…
Despite the factual reality of the situation, the state-controlled propagandists writing for rags like the Washington Post — a bogus newspaper that has lost all credibility in the minds of intelligent people — continued to pummel home their kooky science theories that claimed much of the U.S. South would be overrun by brain damaging mosquitoes, turning Southerners into shrunken-brained mutants while pregnant women fled northward to survive the airborne insect onslaught.
Instead, nothing happened . No explosion in shrunken-headed babies. No wave of birth defects across Florida, even as city officials desperately bombarded their own cities with brain-damaging insecticides. No national emergency declared by Obama to bring back DDT and eradicate baby-murdering mosquitoes by dousing our open streets with thick clouds of organophosphate neurotoxins.
Instead, the rate of neurological birth defects in most countries approached zero. Via the Washington Post’s own graphic: (partial list)
Venezuela: 60,791 Zika infections… ZERO birth defects Honduras: 31,933 Zika infections… ONE birth defect Guadalupe: 30,969 Zika infections… ZERO birth defects Puerto Rico: 29,084 Zika infections… TWO birth defects Mexico: 4,837 Zika infections… ZERO birth defects
From the WashPost article:
Brazilian officials were bracing for a flood of fetal deformities as Zika spread this year to other regions of the country, Marinho said. However, “we are not seeing a big increase.”
Gee, really?
The vast majority of the brain defects, it turns out, came from just one small region of Brazil. A total of 2,033 children are so far recorded with neurological defects there, even while most other countries throughout the region had ZERO birth defects (or near zero).
So what gives? Zika mosquitoes apparently carry geopolitical maps so they can solely target Brazil
You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that the stupid science theories of the mainstream media are total hokum and bunk . If Zika really did cause brain defects, it would have spread all across South America by now. It would have spread into Florida, California, Mississippi and Louisiana. It would have devastated the American South, Cuba, Haiti, Curacao and all the other island nations across the Caribbean.
Yet the neurological defects were limited almost exclusively to Brazil.
Somehow, if we believe the illiterate Washington Post science writers — who may in fact be the only brain damage victims of Zika in North America — mosquitoes carry MAPS to make sure they only activate their brain damage voodoo in Brazil .
“…[A]lthough the outbreak has spread this year to more than 50 nations and territories across the Western Hemisphere, U.N. data shows just 142 cases of congenital birth defects linked to Zika so far outside Brazil,” says WashPost.
Yes, my friends: GPA-carrying Zika mosquitoes are very careful to limit their pandemic voodoo to just one region of Brazil. By sheer coincidence, that’s the same region where larvacide chemicals were dumped into the public water supply.
Apparently, there isn’t a single “official” scientist in the entire global government who has thought to test the water. Just freaking WOW… Let’s throw these morons out of power in every election, okay? They don’t deserve any positions of authority over anyone else. They’re all so incredibly stupid, they couldn’t survive at all unless they functioned as parasites on the taxpayers. They aren’t giving up hope just yet… science writers desperately hope for more brain damaged babies to prove them right
Enthusiasm for more brain damaged babies runs high at the Washington Post, which explains why they are all in for Hillary Clinton, the candidate of choice for brain damaged adults . Writing with a sense of real enthusiasm, the Washington Post can’t wait for more brain damaged babies to appear:
Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are closely watching Puerto Rico, which has reported more than 26,800 cases of Zika. More than 7,000 pregnant women could be infected by the end of the year, according to the CDC. (Yippee?)
And now, the loony tunes quack science of the Zika “scientists” goes apoplectic, grasping for silly metaphors to try to obscure the fact that they are all stupid beyond belief . Via the WashPost:
“Now we’ve settled on Zika as the smoking gun, but we don’t know who pulled the trigger,” said Marques, speaking from Recife, where he is working with government researchers.
Huh? Wha? The metaphor doesn’t even make any sense.
Maybe the problem is too much fornicating. Seriously, this is now part of their idiotic theory:
“Sexual habits and hygiene may also play a role,” he said, explaining that researchers are looking at whether sexual transmission can infect the uterus and placenta with the virus, potentially exposing the fetus to elevated risk. “We suspect the villain has an accomplice, but we don’t know who it is,” Marques said.
Huh? Do they seriously think that people only have sex in Brazil but not other South American countries? Where does the Washington Post find these morons? I’m a real scientist saying all this
As you read all this, remember that I have rapidly become one of the world’s leading research scientists on the quantitation of cannabinoids in hemp extracts using mass spec instrumentation. I led the team that developed the most pioneering (and accurate) CBD mass spec analysis method in existence today. You can read about it at this link . I also routinely test water, food and environmental samples for heavy metals, pesticides and a multitude of chemical contaminants. When I say these Zika scientists are complete morons, that’s the educated opinion of an accomplished scientist correctly pointing out the lunacy of Zika scaremongering.
I could have solved this entire problem in the first few days by analyzing and detecting brain-damaging larvacide chemicals in the public water supply in Eastern Brazil. The entire project would have taken just a few days and cost almost nothing. Instead, Obama handed $1.8 billion to the vaccine companies in the midst of the Zika panic pushed by laughable rags like the Washington Post. It’s all a racket, of course, just like their coverage of elections and political candidates. Everything you read at the Washington Post is a deception of one kind or another . The paper exists solely to promote the propaganda of the state so that the population can be manipulated and controlled. The Washington Post exists to terrorize the citizens with fascist propaganda parading as science
As you’ve also learned by now, the corrupt leftist establishment of junk science, criminal politicians and idiotic journalists isn’t interested in legitimate scientific solutions . They all function as extensions of a fascist state that must routinely terrorize its citizens with pandemic boogeyman scare stories in order to demand absolute obedience to the vaccine mandates that actually do damage the brains of children.
Thus, SCIENCE be damned. They’ve got an agenda to push, and it doesn’t matter to them whether that agenda is based on a single shred of real science. Zika is dangerous because they told you so, in exactly the same way they told you Hillary Clinton is totally honest, Obamacare would make health care more affordable, there’s no such thing as voter fraud in America, and GMOs and vaccines are really, really good for you.
So you can put down the DEET and stop poisoning your skin like an obedient idiot. Yes, it was all a scam. Yes, the official “science” was totally rigged. Yes, the media lied to you yet again. Yes, the CDC is a criminal racket. Yes, all the health “officials” were completely full of s**t. And no, Zika is not going to cause your babies to be born with shrunken heads. VACCINES, on the other hand, will most definitely cause brain damage, as they still contain mercury, a potent neurotoxin the Washington Post ridiculously insists becomes magically neutralized when you inject it into the body of a child.
Red more unintentional scientific comedy at this Washington Post article . Share: | 0 |
LONDON — One of the most influential musicians and style icons of his generation, David Bowie, who died in January, was less well known as an art collector. But as he told Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times critic, in 1998, “Art was, seriously, the only thing I’d ever wanted to own. ” On Thursday evening, Sotheby’s launched its “ ” sale, an auction of some 350 works, or about 65 percent of his total collection, on behalf of Mr. Bowie’s estate. Buoyed by the huge amounts of publicity and public interest, the sale of 47 lots tripled its low estimates raising 24. 3 million pounds, or $30. 3 million. The collection of “The Man Who Fell to Earth” created a string of 12 auction highs for artists as the allure of the David Bowie provenance pushed the values of Modern British art to a new level. Among the works with wide international appeal, a Basquiat painting, “Air Power,” from the collection of Mr. Bowie — who played Andy Warhol in Julian Schnabel’s 1996 movie “Basquiat” — sold for £7. 1 million with fees, or about $8. 8 million, against a low estimate of £2. 5 million, or $3. 3 million. It sold in the room to a European collector who declined to give her name. The 1984 acrylic and oil stick composition, painted in shades of brown and red and featuring one of the artist’s trademark masks, had been bought by the British musician in 1995 at Christie’s in London for $120, 122. Though at times the room was subdued, and at times there was more posting of pictures on Instagram than bidding, competition on the telephones ensured some exceptional prices. After an early phase of acquiring Memphis Group furniture and design objects (about 100 lots will be offered by Sotheby’s on Friday) Mr. Bowie began systematically buying art only in 1993, in his after a chance encounter with his first adviser, Kate Chertavian. But from that point on he became passionately acquisitive. The core of his collection is 20th century British art — so called Mod Brit such as Peter Lanyon and David Bomberg and Ivon Hitchens — which at times made his taste look like that of a retired English businessman rather than an pop star. Yet his multifaceted creative life also made him an admirer of German Expressionist prints, Outsider Art, Marcel Duchamp, Damien Hirst and African contemporary. “Bowie was a true collector,” said Christina Shearman, a art adviser based in New York, where Mr. Bowie lived during his final years. “His acquisitions were not commercially motivated he cared about the art, not the market. His was a deeply personal, eclectic collection, reflecting his British roots and his real passion for art. ” The collection took up all eight rooms of Sotheby’s exhibition space and attracted 37, 608 visitors during the exhibition — a record for any auction at Sotheby’s in London, according to the company’s press office. The art trade predicted that Frank Auerbach’s expressive and thickly impasted 1965 “Head of Gerda Boehm,” estimated at £300, 000 to £500, 000, would fly. The hammer finally fell at £3. 8 million, or $4. 7 million, to a telephone bidder. The price was a new auction high for the artist. “I want to sound like that looks,” Mr. Bowie had said of the painting in the 1998 interview with The New York Times. He had bought the work, whose paint layer was still not completely dry, according to conservators, in 1995 at Christie’s for $87, 102. Another work with international appeal was Damien Hirst’s psychedelic 1995 spin canvas, “Beautiful, hallo, painting,” which the artist had made in collaboration with the musician (who wore a brand new, quickly ruined suit). Measuring seven feet in diameter, this sold for £785, 000, or roughly $975, 000, against an estimate of £250, 000 to £350, 000. Mod Brit has in the past been a niche national market, but Sotheby’s ramped up the cataloging of Mr. Lanyon’s imposing 1961 black and white abstract, “Witness,” by calling it a “great American painting. ” Mr. Lanyon was born, lived, and died in Cornwall, in the far west of England, but the painting’s resemblance to contemporary works by greats such as Robert Motherwell and Franz Kline helped it achieve £797, 000, just under $1 million, to another telephone bidder against an estimate of £250, 000 to £350, 000. The price was also an auction high for the artist, whose 1960s abstracts were influenced by glider flights. All the lots sold but total success was ensured by lowering reserve prices on works that failed to attract much presale interest. That included Francis Picabia’s enigmatic painting of a seated mythological figure, “Mendica,” one of Mr. Bowie’s earlier art purchases, bought at auction in 1988. Estimated at £ £800, 000, it was knocked down for £401, 000, or about $500, 000, with fees. “You get a sense of his character,” said Josh Andraos, an art student, 20, at the packed Wednesday preview, summing up why so many people wanted to see the art that had been owned by Mr. Bowie. “It’s very British, but it varies. It all depends on what he’s thinking and feeling. This is the head of Bowie himself. ” | 1 |
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The decision came Thursday afternoon on Air Force One on the way to Florida. President Trump assembled his National Security Council on his plane, some by secure video link, as the generals made the case that President Bashar of Syria had to learn there was a price to pay. Mr. Trump was already shaken by photos his staff had shown him of children dying after the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack — far more graphic than those the public had seen — so the president did not need a lot of convincing. “What happened in Syria is truly one of the egregious crimes, and it shouldn’t have happened,” he told reporters when he poked his head into the press cabin. “And it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. ” Two hours later at his resort in Palm Beach, Fla. Mr. Trump gave the order to unleash 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Al Shayrat airfield in western Syria, where the chemical weapons attack originated. His generals had given him the option of delaying a day, but Mr. Trump chose not to wait. It had been only 63 hours from the chemical attack to the American strike. The bombs fall on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in the territory of Idlib Province. Video footage of the attack quickly surfaces, showing women and children gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth as they fight the effects of what officials later say is sarin gas, a brutal nerve agent. President Trump huddles at the White House with his military and national security advisers for what his aides now describe as an extensive briefing on the attack. The president had questions for his aides, including Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the national security adviser. “He was very interested in understanding better the circumstances of the attack and who was responsible,” General McMaster later tells reporters. Mr. Trump has a series of meetings on health care, the environment and other topics, but aides say the images from Syria — especially those showing the suffering of small children and babies — weigh on him. The first public evidence of the president’s concern about the chemical attack comes from Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, who reads a statement condemning the Syrian government. He also places blame on President Barack Obama for not striking the Syrian regime in 2013. The attacks, Mr. Spicer says, are “not something that any civilized nation should sit back and accept or tolerate. ” But he does not demand that President Assad step down, and dismisses the idea as impractical: “We would look like, to some degree, rather silly not acknowledging the political realities that exist in Syria,” he says. At the White House, national security aides to Mr. Trump gather for a “restricted deputies committee meeting” to review options. The group — made up of the deputies to the president’s chief foreign policy advisers — begin vetting the options with the agencies that would have to carry them out. Members of the National Security Council arrive at the White House to review the work from the night before. Intelligence and military officials continue to investigate the attack, giving them confidence that Mr. Assad is responsible. “That confidence level has just continued to grow in the hours and days since the attack,” General McMaster later tells reporters. The evidence, he says, is increasingly associated with “the victims that are being treated and confirmation of the type of agent which was used, which is a nerve agent. ” Mr. Trump makes his first public remarks about Syria, telling a group of reporters in the Oval Office that the attacks are unspeakable. As his advisers continue working on details for a military strike, Mr. Trump remains uncharacteristically disciplined about his plans. Asked by a reporter whether he intends to take any action with regard to Syria, Mr. Trump says, “You will see. ” At a news conference in the White House Rose Garden after a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Mr. Trump says his horror at the images of “innocent children, innocent babies” choked by poison gas in the attack has led him to reassess his approach to Syria. “It’s very, very possible, and I will tell you it has already happened, that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much,” Mr. Trump says, adding later: “It crossed a lot of lines for me. When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies, with a chemical gas that was so lethal,” then that “crosses many lines, beyond a red line, many many lines. ” Without giving away his plans for possible military action — already under consideration at this point — Mr. Trump acknowledges that “I now have responsibility, and I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly. ” Mr. Trump convenes a meeting of his National Security Council after lunch with the Jordanian king. For several hours in the Situation Room, the president’s top military and national security aides present him with three options for action in Syria. Aides say Mr. Trump was looking for something aggressive but “proportionate” that would be sufficient to send a signal — but not so large as to risk escalating the conflict. “The president asked us to focus on two options in particular, to mature those options, and he had a series of questions for us that we endeavored to answer,” General McMaster later tells reporters. Deliberations continue throughout the afternoon as military and intelligence officials focus in part on how they might use missiles to target the airfield used to launch the chemical weapons. After several hours, the president and his advisers agree to reconvene the next day. The president participates in an event honoring wounded veterans as he mulls his options. He tells the veterans assembled in the East Room that they are “real heroes” who have sacrificed for their country. “I call them America’s winners because they’re winners,” Mr. Trump says. Mr. Trump’s motorcade pulls out of the White House headed for Air Force One and then a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping of China at . With the president on the plane are General McMaster Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff and Mr. Trump’s economic advisers. Flying through unusually turbulent weather on his way to Florida, Mr. Trump reconvenes the National Security Council, adding those on the ground via a secure video connection. His aides later describe Mr. Trump’s as deliberate, although he is also driven by emotion at the sight of the atrocities — and with the power to do something about it. Mr. Trump makes up his mind to act, although aides declined to provide more details about the president’s thinking and the conversations on the plane. Mr. Spicer fields questions on the plane from reporters about the possibility of military action in Syria. “He is being presented with a lot of options,” Mr. Spicer says as Air Force One bounces wildly through pockets of rough air. “I would go back and echo the comments the president made in the Rose Garden. He is not one to telegraph those decisions until he is ready to make them. ” Mr. Trump is still on Air Force One when Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson lands in Florida to greet Mr. Xi, who has arrived a few moments earlier on his Air China plane. After the greeting, Mr. Tillerson briefs reporters at the airport about the coming meeting with Mr. Xi. Pressed by reporters on Syria, Mr. Tillerson says the United States must act. “It would seem there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people,” Mr. Tillerson says of Mr. Assad, an abrupt turnaround from Mr. Spicer’s comments about 48 hours earlier. “We are considering an appropriate response for this chemical weapons attack. A serious matter requires a serious response. ” Air Force One lands in Palm Beach, and the president is whisked to and heads into another meeting with the National Security Council. By this point, the military options have been winnowed to a Tomahawk cruise missile strike at Al Shayrat airfield. American intelligence has tracked the planes that carried out the attacks and determined that they were Syrian government warplanes that had departed from and returned to the base. “It was important during the president’s deliberations,” General McMaster says. Aides say Mr. Trump was determined to display some form of strength, but also was aware of the difficulties looming with Russia once the strikes became known. Before the meeting ends, Mr. Trump formally says the missile strikes are a “go. ’’ Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi, who arrives at just after 5 p. m. pose for pictures with their wives. Mr. Trump is seated hunched over on a couch in the middle of one photo. A reporter yells out, “Have you been presented with options on Syria?” Mr. Trump ignores the question as reporters are led out. The formal dinner with Mr. Xi begins. From a phone line in a small, nondescript room at the sprawling Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the United States’ air war command for the region — American commanders begin warning their Russian counterparts of an imminent strike at the airfield. They do this under a “deconfliction” agreement with Moscow to try to prevent an unintended confrontation between the two countries. But the Americans give the Russians the warning no more than 90 minutes before the strike, according to one American official. In other words, it is a notification rather than a consultation. The conversation is described as lengthy. The Russians do much of the talking. At 2:40 a. m. local time in Syria, two destroyers, the U. S. S. Porter and the U. S. S. Ross — already in position in the eastern Mediterranean — fire 59 Tomahawk missiles at the airfield. In Washington and at the president’s advisers — Vice President Mike Pence, Mr. Tillerson and General McMaster among them — begin notifying foreign leaders and members of Congress that the missile strikes have begun. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, gets a call from Mr. Pence. As Mr. McConnell later tells reporters, Mr. Pence “explained the rationale, how they were doing it, and I thought it made a lot of sense and would be a strike that would be noticed, not some kind of pinprick. ” The cruise missile strike targets aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, radars, an air defense system, ammunition bunkers and fuel storage sites. American planners have avoided targeting sites where they suspect chemical agents might be stored. Dinner wraps up at . As the missiles are about to hit their targets, Mr. Trump pulls Mr. Xi away from the other guests and informs him of the strike. Aides describe it as a brief, discussion. The Chinese delegation leaves after the dinner ends. Mr. Trump assembles his national security team and other top advisers in a secure room at after the strikes. A photograph of the meeting, distributed by Mr. Spicer on Friday, shows the president at a small table with General McMaster, Mr. Priebus, Mr. Bannon, Mr. Tillerson and Jared Kushner, the president’s and adviser. Others, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross and Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser for strategy, are also in the room. On a secure video screen, according to Mr. Spicer, are Mr. Pence Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Reporters are called in for a statement that Mr. Trump delivers to announce the strikes. The military action, he says, is in the “vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. ” The statement is organized so quickly that reporters are unable to broadcast it live. They record it to be aired soon after the rush also means the sound quality is poor. But the import of his words is clear. “We ask for God’s wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world,” Mr. Trump says. “We pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who passed. And we hope as long as America stands for justice, then peace and harmony will in the end prevail. ” | 1 |
Roger Stone: Hillary Plans to Steal Election
Special Report: James O'Keefe and Roger Stone Join Alex Jones | 0 |
Crime Prevention Research Center’s (CPRC) John Lott points out that police are convicted of gun crime at a higher rate than permit holders. [Lott’s assessment is not for the purpose of disparaging police. Instead, it is to show that concealed carry permit holders are among the most citizens, and their armed presence on campus is a deterrent, rather than a cause for concern. Writing in the Hill’s May 26 column, Lott highlights the left’s claims that concealed carry permit holders make college campuses less safe. He points out that the left has reacted to proposed campus carry legislation in state after state by warning that armed, citizens on campus would make classrooms and universities more dangerous. But the danger has not materialized, even though campus carry has been in effect in some states for 14 years. For example, it has been the law in Colorado since 2003 and in Utah since 2004. It has become law in numerous other states since then, including Arkansas and Georgia this year. But where are the crimes? The Wild West shootouts? The bullets whistling through the air on campus carry campuses? These are no where to be found because concealed carry permit holders are generally not criminals. Lott explains that the left opposed concealed carry when it began to sweep the country in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and they used the same arguments then that they use now when decrying arming citizens for on campus. They largely argue that only trained should be armed on campus. They intimate that allowing students to be armed will only lead to a more dangerous campus setting. Lott counters, “Permits have been revoked for violations at rates of thousandths of one percentage point. Civilian permit holders are less likely than police officers to be convicted of a firearms violation. ” He links to a CPRC study that shows that from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2007, the yearly rate of misdemeanors and felonies by police officers was . 102 percent. The yearly rate for Texas’ concealed carry permit holders in the year 2015, the year campus carry was signed into law in that state, was . 0102 percent. Lott then shows that from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2007, the yearly rate for firearms violations was . 017 percent. The yearly rate for Texas’ concealed carry permit holders in 2015 was . 0024 percent. AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart. com. | 1 |
They are among war’s invisible wounds: the emotional and cognitive problems that many troops experience years after combat explosions sent huge shock waves through their brains. Whereas the link between concussions and stress disorder has become clearer in recent years, a specific connection between PTSD and blast waves has remained elusive. Now, a prominent neuropathologist who researches brain injuries among military personnel says his team has identified evidence of tissue damage caused by blasts alone, not by concussions or other injuries. The team’s study was published on Thursday in The Lancet Neurology. The discovery could eventually lead to better treatments and to improved head and body protection for troops exposed to blasts, some experts said. Other researchers advised that these initial findings should be bolstered by more studies before veterans and their families read too much into them. “We talk about PTSD being a psychiatric problem — how people responded to the horror of warfare,” said Dr. Daniel P. Perl, the neuropathologist who led the study. “But at least in some cases, no — their brain has been damaged. ” “The real black box is to figure out who has this,” added Dr. Perl, who works at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. the medical school run by the Department of Defense. Even the tentative results provided some solace to Jennifer Collins, who was married to one of the five male military veterans whose damaged brains were examined in the study. Her husband, David, served 17 years in the Navy SEALs, enduring countless explosions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired in 2012, and steadily developed significant depression, sleeplessness and memory loss. He killed himself in March 2014. “This is proof that this man died in combat,” Ms. Collins said in a telephone interview, sobbing and struggling to find words. “It took several years to kill him, but he died in combat. This finding is further validation about what I know about my husband. ” It is unclear how many of the 2. 5 million United States service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to blasts. A 2008 report by the RAND Corporation suggested that the number could be about 500, 000. But some estimates suggest the problem could be greater: For example, a 2014 study of 34 living veterans from those conflicts found that a majority had experienced at least five blasts. Explosions from roadside bombs, grenades and other devices produce a wide spectrum of injuries. Beyond the shrapnel and other objects that impale the head and body, the wind can blow troops off their feet, causing fatal head injuries and concussions on impact. Less understood is how the blast wave — the pulse of compressed air that shoots in all directions faster than the speed of sound and arrives before the wind — affects brain tissue after crashing through the helmet and skull. Blasts are also believed to compress the sternum and send shock waves through the body’s blood vessels and up into the brain. The researchers examined the brains of the five veterans who had been exposed to blasts, and compared samples with those of 16 other veterans and civilians with and without brain injuries from military service or other activities. Scar tissue in specific locations of the cerebral cortex, which regulates emotional and cognitive functioning, was found only in the cases. All five of those men also suffered from the symptoms of PTSD, which, given the location of the scarring, suggests that a physical combat injury could have led to or exacerbated their psychological troubles, Dr. Perl said. Any such connection, now only speculative and needing further research, could lead to a better understanding of a link between combat and PTSD, said Dr. Ibolja Cernak, the chairwoman of military rehabilitation research at the University of Alberta. Dr. Cernak likened the study published in The Lancet Neurology to the first reports of chronic traumatic encephalopathy among professional football players, whose disease was linked to repetitive brain trauma and helped explain some of their cognitive and emotional problems decades later. As with C. T. E. the damage connected to blasts does not appear on any magnetic resonance imaging test or brain scan and can be located only after death. “This could be for the military population what C. T. E. was for football players — enormous,” Dr. Cernak said of the research. Beyond treatment options, the findings raise the possibility that better head protection for active soldiers could ameliorate a blast wave’s damage. Dr. Ralph G. DePalma, a special operations officer in the office of research and development at the Department of Veterans Affairs, called that prospect “probably the most important aspect of this paper. ” “Looking at the mechanism of how the injury occurs and possible interventions immediately, that’s something that the Department of Defense is very interested in,” Dr. DePalma said. “We know that certain blast exposures, the angles at which the blast encounters the face and helmet matters. So you can look at protection. ” Some experts are concerned that as significant as identifying damage in the brain can be, linking it to PTSD is premature. For example, Mr. Collins’s brain also showed signs of C. T. E. which has been found in previous autopsies of military veterans and could have contributed to his psychiatric condition. One of the other four subjects in the study had very small signs of C. T. E. but the other three showed none. “We have to be very certain — it’s about not jumping the gun, not jumping to conclusions about the significance of the changes we find in the brain in terms of a person’s prognosis or their symptoms,” said Dr. Ann McKee, the chief of neuropathology at the V. A. Boston Healthcare System. She and others at Boston University have identified C. T. E. in the brains of about 100 former N. F. L. players and some military veterans. “Until we really understand how those changes come about and what the changes really mean,” she added, “we won’t understand the clinical factors that lead to disability from these diseases. ” Dr. DePalma added that even if no treatments could be developed for years, soldiers should not assume that they would emerge from combat with damage from blast waves. Genetics are believed to influence whether a football player will develop C. T. E. so military combat may pose different risks to different people. “It’s not, ‘Oh my God, if I’m exposed to blasts I’m going to go crazy,’” Dr. DePalma said. | 1 |
A leading US senator: US Supporting War in Syria
A leading US senator said the war in Syria would have been over by now if the US had put an end to its intervention when Russia entered the war-ravaged country.
“If the United States had just stayed out of it at that point, the war would be over by now; people would be rebuilding, refugees would be returning back to Syria, but the United States rushed anti-Tank missiles, and we used these so-called moderate rebels as a conduit to supply al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front), which is al-Qaeda in Syria,” republican member of the Virginia State in US Senate, Richard Hayden Black said in an exclusive interview with Press TV.
“If we were not supporting the war in Syria, I believe that the Syrians, combined with their allied forces from Iran, Lebanon and Russia… would move very steadily and restore the borders of Syria.”
The senate member, who visited Syria in April, refused to distinguish between militants and terrorists fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, saying, the two are “thoroughly integrated.”
“They really are one and the same, they’re part of the same army,” he said, citing a US defense intelligence agency’s investigation in 2013, which showed Washington’s ties with the terror group.
The outspoken state senator referred to plans by the CIA to transfer arms from Libya to Turkey and from there to Syria to supply the militants, noting that the move “evolved into an indiscriminate program of supplying all militant groups, including specifically ISIL and al-Qaeda.”
“We do it indirectly because it’s unlawful to do it directly,” he said, adding that the US keeps “extremely violent organizations… off the terrorist watch list because these are the agents that take our weapons and then distribute them to ISIL and al-Qaeda.”
In response to a question on why Iran and Russia are portrayed as the “bad guys,” while they are the ones really fighting terrorism there, as put recently by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, Black said the Republican candidate has a “clear understanding of what’s happening over there.”
“Sometimes, his rhetoric has to match the political mood of the moment… but I know a number of his advisers and they believe that our determination to topple the government in Syria is suicidal, that it threatens not only the entire Middle East but literally the entire world.”
He further warned that the US itself could be “threatened,” arguing that, “if Syria falls, it will be dominated by some al-Qaeda-related organization; Lebanon will fall; Jordan will fall and the entire area will be destabilized.”
The Vietnam war veteran also elaborated on his personal definition of the Middle East “axis of evil,” naming Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and “particularly” Turkey over their support for terrorism.
“Probably, three quarters of the rebels are not Syrian at all, they are mercenaries recruited by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” he asserted, describing the three countries as “the primary force behind the terrorist movement.”
“Turkey has invaded Iraq and Syria with heavy military forces. Turkey has really become a rogue nation,” he added, referring to a 1923 treaty that set the border between Turkey and Greece, saying that was even being questioned by President Rececp Tayyip Erdogan.
“And now you see this emerging threat against Western Europe by Turkey,” he noted, further adding that Erdogan “has made it clear that he looks to resurrection of the Ottoman Empire.”
“He has become more and more aggressive; he’s crushed the military, the free press; every powerful institution of the Turkish government has come under his iron fist and he’s now a total dictator. He’s a man who has said that he wants the constitution amended so that he will have power similar to those of Adolf Hilter… This is our great ally; we’re allied with a man who would be Hitler.”
He also blasted Washington’s alliance with Saudi Arabia, “where women are not allowed to walk out in the front yard to pick up the newspaper without a man’s permission; they can’t drive a car!”
“Somehow, this is part of the liberalization that we seek to impose on the Middle East,” he said ironically, calling it “bizarre.”
He also praised the resistance against the Saudi aggression by the people of Yemen, saying, “God bless them! The Yemenis are giving the Saudis a bloody nose,” despite being a “tiny little, poor nation.”
“I think the world recognizes that Saudi Arabia has just embarked in massive war crimes in Yemen,” he said, voicing regret over the US support for the monarchy.
“We don’t pay too much attention to them while engaged in war crimes because they’re our good allies,” he said, concluding that Washington is on a “suicidal course of action.”
“Saudi money pays the very top politicians in many Western nations. And they really have co-opted the American military into acting as mercenaries for Wahhabism.”Black referred to the Western media’s portrayal of Iran as a supporter of terrorism, saying, “The fact of the matter is that if you really look at global terrorism, it all emanates from Saudi Arabia.”
He exemplified various terrorists attack, including the 9/11, the Boston bombing, and the Brussels attacks, noting that they are all a “reflection of the Wahhabi philosophy.” | 0 |
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump likes to hold himself up as a paragon of charitable donations. But do his claims stand up to reality? Trump Charitable Donations? Almost Nothing
The Washington Post published a piece this afternoon stating that they’ve been researching Trump’s claims for months and have come up nearly empty-handed.
According to the Post : “After calling 420-plus charities with some connection to Trump, The Post found only one personal gift from Trump between 2008 and the spring of this year. That was a gift to the Police Athletic League of New York City , in 2009. It was worth less than $10,000.”
The article goes on to mention Trump’s self-inflating talk and random appearances at charitable events with which he has no monetary connection. Many of those involved with the charities have felt swindled in one way or another by the Republican nominee over the years.
It tells the story of a woman, employed by Trump, who asked him to help sponsor a gala for the Professional Women in Construction, where she was being honored. He didn’t, spent $100 on a single ticket, and then took over the microphone at the event for 15 minutes to make himself look like a big donor.
There’s the story of the time when he was “principal for a day” at a poor school in the Bronx. He gave them a phony $1 million bill. He did manage to fork over $200 before taking off in his limo.
Or the time when he decided to take the stage at an event to benefit children suffering from AIDS. He took the chair designated for someone who actually made a charitable donation (unlike Trump), and then posed for pictures as though he was a donor. The executive director of the charity, Gretchen Buchenholz, sent an email to the person whose chair Trump had commandeered, Steven Fisher, apologizing for Trump’s transgression: “I immediately said ‘no,’ but Rudy Giuliani said ‘yes’ and I felt I had to accede to him. I hope you can forgive me.”
Steven Fisher’s chair happened to be right next to Giuliani’s, too. Go figure. Some Things Never Change
The instances above are only a tiny handful of the stories laid out in the Post article. All the evidence together points to a man who talks a big game about all his various charitable donations, but who, in reality, is as miserly as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Trump, however, continues to try to portray the image of generosity.
An archived page for Trump’s corporate website ends his biography with these words: “He is the archetypal businessman — a deal maker without peer and an ardent philanthropist.”
On October 20, 2016, Trump appeared as a featured speaker at the Al Smith charity dinner alongside his rival, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Despite all that we know now, despite all the questions that have been raised since he began his campaign about his charitable donations (or lack thereof), his biography in the program at the dinner contained those exact same words.
Trump lives in a bubble. And that bubble needs to burst.
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license About Carrie MacDonald
Carrie is a progressive mom and wife living in the upper Midwest. Connect | 0 |
PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Coahuila — Authorities in this border city continue to probe a failed kidnapping that turned into a triple murder outside of a local junkyard. While local media have claimed that the murder was a gang hit, the victim’s relatives revealed that the case was something else. [Preliminary information points to the victims decorating a local business for a party in the Laguito Mexicano neighborhood when the shooting happened. The victims have been identified as Jorge “Copetes” Rosales and his employees Aaron “N” and El Pepo. The murder scene is approximately six miles from this city’s downtown area. According to the victim’s relatives, two vehicles with gunmen followed Rosales to his business where they tried to kidnap him in an apparent effort to collect a ransom. The victim tried to fight back while two of his employees rushed to his aid. The gunmen shot them and fled the area. Days after the murder, local residents reported that a second kidnapping attempt had taken place but the victims had managed to escape unharmed. According to local residents, they have recently seen a spike in the number of kidnappings at the hands of organized crime members who are trying to supplement their incomes. As Breitbart Texas revealed, the area of Piedras Negras is famous for the kidnapping and murder of more than 300 between 2011 and 2013 in the state’s northern region. Most of the victims were incinerated inside a state prison. Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “J. M. Martinez” from Piedras Negras, Coahuila. | 1 |
Besides contributing at @TheDailyWTF, I write DevDisasters for Visual Studio Magazine, and involved in various side projects including child rearing and marriage.
"Apparently, only a small part of my dinner qualifies as food," writes Alex F.
Hamkakei wrote, "I've heard of a working lunch, but Amazon seems a little over confident about how much code will be written with this."
"404 on Index? Are you feeling OK Github?" Mattias C. writes.
"I've heard some bad things about Backup Exec, but you must be doing something good to be able to handle that many jobs," wrote Marc B.
Paul writes, "Being broken is bad enough, but being broken twice in a row is a whole other story."
"I'm pretty good at counting, so am I missing something?" wrote Silvia
"So, if I want to see what Windows 10 wants to uninstall, it looks like I'm going to have to give it permission and then look afterwards to see what's missing," Smylers writes.
[Advertisement] Scale your release pipelines , creating secure, reliable, reusable deployments with one click. Download and learn more today! | 0 |
Merkel says Facebook, Google ‘distort perception,’ demands they ‘reveal algorithms’ Published time: 26 Oct, 2016 20:53 Get short URL Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel © Francois Lenoir / Reuters German Chancellor Angela Merkel launched a broadside at internet media giants, accusing them of “narrowing perspective,” and demanding they disclose their privately-developed algorithms. Merkel previously blamed social media for anti-immigrant sentiment and the rise of the far right.
“The algorithms must be made public, so that one can inform oneself as an interested citizen on questions like: what influences my behavior on the internet and that of others?" said Merkel during a media conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
“These algorithms, when they are not transparent, can lead to a distortion of our perception, they narrow our breadth of information.”
Google uses an algorithm to decide which search results are first shown to a user, while Facebook arranges the order of the news feed, and decides to include certain posts from a user’s liked pages and friends, at the expense of others. Both sites also promote links to news articles, often based on a user’s own media interests. Read more Germany orders Facebook to stop collecting data on WhatsApp users
These algorithms are at the core of the intellectual property of any social media or search website, and comprise some of the most highly-protected trade secrets in the world, potentially worth billions. No internet giant has ever revealed its inner workings.
Merkel did not specifically name Facebook, Google or Twitter, but implied that the large platforms are creating “bubbles” of self-reinforcing views, and squeezing out smaller news providers.
"The big internet platforms, via their algorithms, have become an eye of a needle which diverse media must pass through to reach users,” warned Merkel. “This is a development that we need to pay careful attention to.”
The internet giants themselves have argued that the so-called social media bubble is largely a myth, and that online users have a wider access to differing views than under a pre-internet model, where most news would be acquired from just a handful of newspapers and one or two TV channels. German establishment raises ‘Sword of Damocles’ over social media
This is not the first attack on social media by Merkel and her Grand Coalition government, and while the German politician advocates diversity of views, she has previously accused it of perpetrating opinions that are most at odds with those of the establishment and traditional media. Read more AfD vows to become 3rd largest force in Germany as Merkel admits refugee crisis was ‘out of control’
Last month, Merkel accused AfD, the recently-established anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim party, which receives overwhelmingly negative coverage in most newspapers, of “spreading their lies” through social media, as it achieves breakthroughs in regional elections around the country.
A year ago, at the height of the refugee influx into the country, Merkel, who was first elected in 2005, was caught on a hot mic personally pressing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to clamp down on anti-migrant posts during a UN session in New York.
A fortnight ago, the leader of Merkel’s parliamentary CDU faction, Volker Kauder, said that social media should be fined €50,000 for failing to remove “hate speech,” saying that a “Sword of Damocles” has to hang over social media. Kauder also called for warnings, similar to those on cigarette packs or before entering pornographic websites, to be given to those about to go on social media. FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with Facebook founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg (C) and Google CEO Eric Schmidt (R) at the G8 Summit in Deauville May 26, 2011 © Philippe Wojazer / Reuters
Justice Minister Heiko Maas – who said that there had been a 77 percent increase in hate crimes following the arrival of 900,000 asylum seekers – has given internet media companies until February next year to comply with EU directives on xenophobia and racism, or face legal action. | 0 |
Against the advice of the man with perhaps the highest football IQ in the history of the NFL, the league changed its touchback rules last year, hoping the rule change would dramatically decrease injuries on kickoffs. [Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. The NFL released the injury numbers from the first year of the touchback rule. And, according to Pro Football Talk, not much really changed, “ … concussions on kickoffs declined slightly, from 20 in 2015 to 17 in 2016. But hamstring injuries on kickoffs increased from 11 to 13, ACL tears increased from one to four, and MCL tears increased from three to five. “On a conference call examining injury rates in the league, NFL officials said the data will be analyzed in more detail and presented to the Competition Committee, but they acknowledged that it looks more like “a natural fluctuation” than any change that could be attributed to the new touchback rule. ” Perhaps the league could have avoided all this had they listened to football genius Bill Belichick, who correctly stated that players still get concussed on kickoffs that result in touchbacks because the other ten players have no idea whether or not the return man will bring the ball out, and thus, still have to block. Not to mention that, according to Pro Football Talk, “touchbacks only increased by 2 percent in 2016. ” So not only did injuries not significantly decrease, the rule failed to even meaningfully increase the number of touchbacks. So, once again the NFL engages in a cosmetic and ineffectual rule change, which makes the game less exciting and has chance of increasing player safety. Nor can the league say they had no warning the rule wouldn’t work, because Belichick already told them it wouldn’t work. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl next week, between this and Deflategate, it’s shaping up to be one awkward trophy presentation ceremony. Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn | 1 |
( ANTIMEDIA ) If you had happened to Google the term ‘pathological lying’ on Sunday evening, you would have been met with none other than the bright, smiling face of presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. Before Wikipedia administrators put a temporary lock on the entry early Monday morning, the top Google result for the term was a link to the Wiki article displaying Clinton’s photo, along with the following quote defining pathological lying:
“It is a stand-alone disorder as well as a symptom of other disorders such as psychopathy and antisocial, narcissistic, and histrionic personality disorders, but people who are pathological liars may not possess characteristics of the other disorders. Excessive lying is a common symptom of several mental disorders.”
The revision history of the entry shows the picture of Clinton was originally added to the ‘pathological lying’ Wikipedia article on the morning of October 29th, but it wasn’t until the next night that the ever-vigilant internet community took notice and excitedly spread the word on Facebook and Twitter . Check out the Google Trends report for ‘pathological lying’ below:
Unsurprisingly, most reactions were supportive of the alteration to the Wikipedia article, once again showing the public’s general distrust of the presidential candidate. A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University last year asked voters to say the first thing that came to mind when they thought of Hillary Clinton. The most popular response was “liar,” followed by “dishonest” and “untrustworthy.” Maybe if the biggest names in journalism weren’t outright colluding with Hillary’s campaign , that poll would have been more widely reported. Maybe.
Due to the fact major media corporations are completely ignoring the corruption surrounding the Clinton campaign, it has been left to Wikileaks, independent media outlets, and the social media community to push this information into the public eye. Just a week away from the election, new evidence was discovered that prompted the FBI to announce they have reopened the criminal investigation into Hillary’s private email server.
With Republican nominee Donald Trump scheduled to appear in court to face rape allegations, there is a high possibility the next president of the United States will be facing criminal charges before they’re even inaugurated. If nothing else, this election cycle is proving that people want truth — and they’ll get creative to expose it.
Courtesy post via Josie Wales and theAntiMedia.org.
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“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King
Controversy has become the mantra of the whirlwind that is David Icke ’s life over the past few decades.
Since the early 90’s, he has challenged people’s parameters of reality suggesting that all is not what it seems in regards to how our world is run.
David’s verdict is clear; the people that lie at the top of our power structures are hiding a sinister secret, one that would make anyone sound crazy if it were verbalized.
Since the dawn of civilized man, the ruling class have been controlled by extra-terrestrial/ dimensional beings, with an agenda which ultimately establishes the human race as mindless and robotic slaves to a system based on fear and control.
It is easy to see why this theory has attracted so much back-lash.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Controversy has become the mantra of the whirlwind that is David Icke’s life over the past few decades. Since the early 90’s, he has challenged people’s parameters of reality suggesting that all is not what it seems in regards to how our world is run.
David’s verdict is clear; the people that lie at the top of our power structures are hiding a sinister secret, one that would make anyone sound crazy if it were verbalized.
Since the dawn of civilized man, the ruling class have been controlled by extra-terrestrial/ dimensional beings, with an agenda which ultimately establishes the human race as mindless and robotic slaves to a system based on fear and control.
It is easy to see why this theory has attracted so much back-lash.
Icke made an infamous appearance on a national television talk show in 1991 where he announced to the world that he was being channeled information which warned him of impending devastation by natural disasters.
The ridicule which proceeded after the interview was said by Icke to be a nightmare for him and his family. He couldn’t walk down the street without being laughed at.
Icke later states that the laughter had “set him free” in a sense, allowing him to move forward with his messages to the world without now having worry about what people thought about him.
In the decade that followed Icke pumped out book after book, traveling the world giving long lectures on the nature of reality, testing people’s truth’s in regards to who is really running our world (4).
Today Icke leads a similar schedule, having just completed his 8 hour arena world tour which was sold out in multiple countries.
During the extended lecture he touches upon topics such as the holographic universe, the pseudo moon matrix, and his most infamous theory regarding a reptilian hybrid race that is controlling our world.
To begin to explain the complex theory, Icke discusses the current fear state of our world.
“The fear of what other people think is the state of perception that stops people [from] making a difference… you can only make a difference in a world of uniformity if you operate outside of that uniformity… we either take that on or we don’t, in which case nothing changes. “We are now at this place where we can go down one track and experience freedom like we’ve never even understood what freedom is. We go down the other one, the one that the control structure wants, then we’re headed for an Orwellian-fascist global state.” David Icke, The Lion Sleeps no More (3). Icke proposes that mankind has been manipulated to become “unconscious” through the use of programming by media and politics, the tyrannical control over our food, water, and air supply, the dumbing down of the masses by pharmaceutical drugs and alcohol, and the list goes on.
“But the manipulation doesn’t stop there”, as Icke states about exploring the never ending depths of the rabbit hole.
Quetzalcoatl – the Mesoamerican human-eating, reptilian deity
The ruling class, the bankers, the royal family, the presidents and prime ministers , have created the illusion of being separate ruling bodies when in fact they have always been on the same “team” of sorts.
There is a bloodline that has been strategically kept intact for ages. The Burkes Peerage and Baronetage, a comprehensive aristocratic genealogy resource, reveals that all 44 U.S. presidents have carried European royal bloodlines into office over the course of history.
This includes Bill Clinton , the Bush family , Barack Obama, John Kerry, and so on and so forth (6).
Portion of the global elite’s family tree
If we truly live in a democratic system, how is it that every single person brought into office has been of French and European royal descent? What are the chances of this considering the U.S. fought for their independence of Europe in the 1700s?
The Burkes Peerage makes a strong suggestion that elections are not really based on a public voting system, but rather they are based upon the highest percentage of royal genes.
To make things even more peculiar is the fact that Brad Pitt, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, and Tom hanks (some of Hollywood’s biggest stars) also descend from this lineage. What could all of this imply?
Icke goes on to illuminate the theory of quantum physics, which states that our physical reality is a projection within our mind, and that at the most basic quantum level, the solidity of matter is false, existing as vibrations instead of atoms.
When the light from matter reflects into our eyes, the cells pick up the light (which travels as a wavelength measured from 390nm-700nm, the visible light spectrum) and transmutes the vibrations or wave-forms into an image within the brain.
This is the same for sound; it is a vibration until it is decoded by the brain (Suddenly The Matrix plot doesn’t seem so far-fetched).
The human brain can only see an extremely limited spectrum of energy, as we know there are a plethora of different forms of energy in our universe and thousands of different frequencies around us at any given moment that we cannot see, such as radio and radiation waves.
Icke suggests that ET’s and other beings exist in our universe, but they operate at a frequency just above what the human mind is said to be able to detect(3). This could explain the strange sightings of UFO’s that seem to appear and disappear in an instant.
Could it be that the UFO’s or ET’s are advanced enough that they can raise or lower their frequency to come in and out of the visible light frequency spectrum?
This is something that Icke says the ruling elite are aware of, knowledge that is used to manipulate mankind into thinking that our experience is limited to a 3D reality.
Icke says the reptilians control the globalists extra-dimensionally through the manipulation of human DNA
It is no secret today that the world is ruled by money and power. Corporations and banks have more power than the people do, and this is something that is beginning to become recognized by a large majority of the population.
There is a world government which oversees the regulation of the entire planet and all of its systems, says Icke. This world government is called the Illuminati by many, although there are multiple names for the different levels of this organization.
Behind the closed doors at the highest levels of government, secret societies rule with malevolence. The problem is that anyone who learns this information and speaks out publicly as a leading force against these secret societies is quickly silenced.
John Kennedy’s assassination is a perfect example of this. In his famous last speech, not too long before he was shot, he touches upon the subject of the secret ruling class,
“The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and secret proceedings… “For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence – on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day.
“It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific, and political operations.” – John F Kennedy (8)
In his arena tour, Icke discusses the disturbing events that take place behind closed doors at the annual meeting of the global leaders.
“They follow a religion that dates back to the beginning of civilization”, he states. The secret societies take part in and worship a pocket of consciousness, that most call Satanism, in which they perform esoteric rituals that entail ceremonial chanting, gratuitous sexual activities, and even blood sacrifice.
Icke alludes to this in his seminar correlating the globalist cult to the chain of missing children and underground world of sex trafficking.
The Catholic Church is a big player in this disturbing hidden world, Icke says. Earlier in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI became the first Pope to resign since the 1400s.
Some argue that the real reason was due to Benedict being blackmailed for surfacing information about the Catholic Church’s ritual abuse of children and homosexuality within the Vatican (7).
Neil Brick, a victim of satanic ritual abuse, founded S.M.A.R.T (Stop Mind Control and Ritual Abuse Today) in 1995, an organization which aims to expose and put to an end to the ritual abuse of children by the Vatican and other secret power circles.
Neil states that thousands of children are captured each year and are manipulated through mind control to perform grotesque acts involving sex and torture (5).
Chrystine Oksana’s 1994 book, “Safe Passage to Healing”, expands on this topic:
“Ritual Abuse usually involves repeated abuse over an extended period of time. The physical abuse is severe, sometimes including torture and killing. The sexual abuse is usually painful, humiliating, intended as means of gaining dominance over the victim. “The psychological abuse is devastating and involves the use of ritual indoctrination. It includes mind control techniques which convey to the victim a profound terror of the cult members… most victims are in a state of terror, mind control and dissociation.” — Chrystine Oksana, Safe Passage to Healing Many have come forward with unsettling stories about their abuse by different power circles such as the Vatican or the secret men’s clubs like the one held annually at Bohemian Grove in California.
This information may be difficult to process for most. Human beings are naturally compassionate for one and other; we don’t want to believe that these sorts of things happen, especially not by the hands of the people that we’ve “elected” to power.
So what could be the true reason behind these real-life horror movie stories? Icke says that it goes far beyond the physical constraints of the visible light spectrum.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Alex Jones’ secret footage of a Bohemian Grove Ritual
“We are clearly massively missing the point. The vast majority who investigate this will not go any further…because a.) Their belief systems won’t let them and b.) They fear what other people will think about them. There is the level we see unfolding in the news, and then there is the other dimensional non-human level.
The rabbit hole goes deeper and deeper .
“It is all about the control and programming of perception… at one level we see the dark-suits sitting at the big round table making the decisions, then at the next we have the secret societies, and then we go beyond the frequency of visible light… Satanism is a network that interacts with the beings that are controlling our vibrational state from a frequency above us.”
“Wolfgang and the Devil”, Michael Pacher, 1483 — Note the reptilian form the devil takes on
Icke says that these extra-dimensional beings that the globalists worship stem from the constellations Orion, Sirius, and Draco. Thousands of years ago, the reptilian beings intervened on planet Earth and began interbreeding with humans.
Not physically, however, but rather through the manipulation of the human coding, or DNA. Icke states that it is no coincidence that humans have fundamental reptilian genetics within their brain. He refers to an excerpt from the Bible, which hints at the crossbreeding of men and “gods”,
“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the songs of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bear children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” – Genesis, 6:4
Icke connects more biblical stories to the intervention of the reptilian race. He alludes to the “fall of man,” the story of how Adam and Eve became manipulated by the serpent.
The reason, he goes on to say, that 95% of human DNA and a large majority of our brain goes unused is due to this intervention of the reptilian race, placing a limitation on our potential as conscious beings.
These beings were more advanced in the technological sense, seeing our DNA as software which could be tainted with, creating a hybrid middle man to control the human population within the visible light spectrum.
Half human and half reptilian, they were perceived as demi-gods at the time by the people . Icke explains that the Caduceus, the common medical symbol we see today, is based around this DNA manipulation.
The Caduceus contains two serpents spiraling around a scepter that has wings, in the shape of the double-helix DNA strand.
Because these hybrids at the time possessed knowledge that most didn’t, they were able to slip into positions of power, specifically in the ancient areas of Sumer, Babylon, and Mesopotamia.
As these areas began to separate and colonize elsewhere, the reptilian bloodlines spread out, becoming the royal families of the world.
This is said to be why the royal family maintains their genetics. Similarly, the ancient Chinese emperors believed they had the divine right to rule because they were connected to the “serpent gods”.
Icke says there is a common theme between royalty and serpent worship around the world. This can be seen in early images of ancient cultures such as the Hindus, Cambodians, Greeks, Nordics, Africans, Native Americans, Koreans, and Australians to name a few (1).
Icke recounts in his seminar about his discussions with Credo Mutwa , a South-African based Zulu shaman, during which Mutwa tells of African legends about the Chitauri, the reptilian like “gods” who ascended from the heavens in monstrous vessels which burned through the atmosphere.
These so called gods became the dictators of the people, taking away the potentiality and power of the human race (2, 3).
“One other thing that our people say is that the Chitauri prey upon us like vultures. They raise some of us. They fill some of us with great anger and great ambition. And they make these people they’ve raised into great warriors who make terrible war.
“But, in the end, the Chitauri do not allow these great leaders, these great war chiefs and kings, to die peacefully. “The warrior chief is used to make as much war as possible, to kill as many of his people and those he calls enemies, and then, in the end, the warrior chief dies a terrible death, with his blood being spilled by others.” (2), Credo Mutwa on the reptilian-hyrbid leaders.
Over time these bloodlines created a sort of trans-national web of control, and as history progressed they rooted themselves deeper and deeper into the systems and structures that were developed by man.
Today they make up the secret societies (Illuminati, etc.) which pull the strings in regards to the direction that society follows.
Read: New (Reptilian) World Order — Complete History of Reptilian Control
They have created the ultimate prison, one without bars with the illusion of freedom keeping the masses from wanting to escape. They have created illusory lines separating countries to cause segregation among the people who are ignorant to the truth.
They have created massive distractions with media, politics and entertainment, and they have dumbed down the general population through the poisoning of our food, air, and water supply (3).
So what is the ultimate goal of these hybrid bloodlines? Some argue it was originally for our planet’s supply of gold, which they need to stabilize the atmosphere of their own planet. Others suggest that it more has to do with tyranny.
The New World Order (NWO) isn’t a new concept to most. In the early 90’s President Bush publicly announced that the NWO was the eventual goal for the United States. A NWO is not the peaceful state of freedom that these leaders try to present it as.
The NWO is an Orwellian state based around absolute control in which the population is maintained under 500 000 million people. It takes away the power of the public, turning them into mindless robots who do the bidding of the fortunate ruling class; a more extreme case of the current state of the world.
It is a one world government that calls all the shots. This is what the hybrids want; power and control. Whatever the intention is behind the control structures, it is obvious that it is not in harmony with the well-being of mankind or the planet.
Icke ends his seminar with a glimpse of hope for humanity, stating that its time for humanity to get up off of our knees and to take matters back into our own hands,
“What if vast numbers of people say ‘well we’re not doing it’? They’d have no power whatsoever. Their power comes in our acquiescence. What we need isn’t compliance, what we need is a global non-comply-dance. [They] cannot grant our freedom, nor can [they] take it away.”
David Icke’s theories may be difficult to grasp for some, but what is undeniable is the fact that when you listen to his propositions, he makes a damn good argument with his case. In the end it is up to you to decide what truth you wish to believe.
We encourage you to do your own research. This is a time of great change in the world. The people have begun to wake up, deciding for themselves what resonates as truth and what doesn’t.
We live in an era of mass information sharing, thanks to advent of the internet. People are connecting from all over the world to share knowledge and create change on a massive scale. The most important thing for each of us to do during this time is to become informed as much as possible.
Ultimately it is we who have the power to create what we want as a society. When we tune into our true potential, anything is possible.
Fear will not create this change; it will only feed the old systems which the ruling class have already established. Love will be the forerunner for the fast approaching new Earth.
Collective-Evolution
SOURCE | 0 |
By JOEY MILLAR
The show of force comes just days after the Russian leader’s fleet passed near the British coast.
British soldiers will travel to Estonia in what is one of the biggest build-ups of foreign firepower on Russia’s border since the Cold War.
The move will take place next spring, with Denmark and France also taking part in the huge military exercise.
The project was revealed by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who said the UK’s forces will be “fully combat-capable”.
He said: “That battalion will be defensive in nature, but it will be fully combat-capable.
“This is about two things: reassurance, and that needs to be done with some formidable presence, and deterrence.
“This is not simply a trip-wire. This is a serious military presence.”
Cold War-style tensions between Moscow and Washington took a further dip this week after the US revealed plans to station marines in Norway – just a few hundred miles from the border with Russia.
Officials in Norway and the US said they were considering a deal for extra equipment and training for the Scandinavian country.
Russia has reacted | 0 |
During an interview on CNN on Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz ( ) stated that the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is a “home run. ” Cruz said, “During the campaign, he promised the American people that he would nominate a principled constitutionalist to replace Justice Scalia, and tonight President Trump honored that commitment. … I think Judge Gorsuch is a home run. He has a decade of proven experience on the court of appeals of being faithful to the Constitution, following the law, protecting the Bill of Rights and our fundamental liberties, and I think that record will yield a swift confirmation in the United States Senate. ” He added, “Democrats are engaged right now in unprecedented partisan obstruction, but I hope on the Supreme Court they will not engage in that practice. … Democrats will not succeed in filibustering Judge Gorsuch. They may try, but they will not succeed. ” Cruz also addressed whether or not blocking Gorsuch would be fair turnabout for blocking the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland by saying the two nominations took place under a “fundamentally different” set of circumstances because Garland was appointed during an election year. Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 1 |
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Как сообщается в Twitter представительства Словакии в ЕС, "(заседание комитета постоянных представителей ЕС закончилось с положительным результатом - пакет документов по CETA одобрен и достигнута договоренность по проведению письменной процедуры принятия Европейским советом до полуночи пятницы)". Как пишет RT, в настоящее время страна председательствует в интеграционном объединении.
Ранее сообщалось , что власти Бельгии и представители регионов и сообществ страны достигли договорённости по соглашению о свободной торговле между ЕС и Канадой, сняв тем самым последнее препятствие для подписания документа.
Вашингтонский Центр стратегических и международных исследований совместно с болгарским Центром исследований демократии ранее опубликовали доклад "Кремль. Руководство: Российское влияние в Восточной и Центральной Европе". В документе отмечается, что экономическое присутствие России в Болгарии "граничит с захватом государства".
Согласно докладу, Москва использует экономические рычаги воздействия, чтобы дискредитировать либерально-демократическую модель развития Болгарии. То же самое относится и к Венгрии, Латвии, Сербии и Словакии. "В некоторых странах российское влияние насколько всепроникающее и эндемическое, что угрожает национальной безопасности, как и западной ориентации стран и евроатлантической стабильности", - отмечают авторы доклада.
Названы четыре болгарские партии, которые, так или иначе, являются "проводниками российского империализма". Особое внимание уделено партии"Атака". "Российское влияние привело к созданию странной политической коалиции между партиями БСП, ДПС и АБВ, которые работают над созданием пророссийской коалиции, пытаясь свергнуть сегодняшнее правительство", - подчеркивают авторы доклада.
"Для поддержки российского экономического господства и во избежание подробных проверок бизнеса, Кремль использует сложные и теневые сети, охватывающие государственных служащих и бизнес общность. Требования о непрозрачности сделок создало порочный круг увеличения российского экономического влияния и ухудшения болгарских стандартов управления. Подобная практика применяется в управлении госкомпаниями, крупными энергетическими проектами, при заключении договоров по итогам тендеров, одобрении слияния и приобретения и использования "лазеек" в корпоративном управлении для блокировки политических инициатив, противоречащих российским бизнес и стратегическим интересам", - говорится в докладе.
"Приобретая значительное влияние над болгарской экономикой, Россия использует свою доминирующую позицию в стратегических секторах для усиления существующих связей и создания новых коррумпированных бизнесменов и местных олигархов. Со своей стороны эти бизнесмены связаны с известными политиками, на которых имеют значительное влияние. Политики заключают сделки в пользу этих бизнесменов и усиливают их власть в коррупционных сетях страны и в государственных учреждениях", - в таком духе выдержан доклад.
В этом свете особо уместно порекомендовать следующую статью: "НАТО уничтожает армию Болгарии". Однако чрезмерное влияние НАТО и Брюсселя на Болгарию никак не отражено в докладе.
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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Dozens of drivers lined up in vehicles stuffed with mattresses, cooking pots and other belongings, clogging a road outside one of the most desperate and dangerous camps that serve as refuge from the war with Boko Haram. All were waiting for the Nigerian military to escort them back to the farms and the villages they had fled during the yearslong rampage by the insurgents here in this northeast corner of the nation. The military and the government have proclaimed that the countryside outside Maiduguri, the busy Borno State capital where Boko Haram was born, is mostly safe now. They’ve said it’s time for most of the nearly two million displaced people — many of them farmers and fishermen fighting to stave off hunger — to go home. But the soldiers were guiding the throngs of people into a future that was no more certain, and potentially just as dangerous, as the past they had fled. Maimta Modu, 62, had come to a camp with other residents of his tiny village, and now they have to pay soldiers a fee to be escorted back periodically to check on their crops. If he returns on his own, he said in a reference to Boko Haram, “those boys will slaughter me. ” President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly declared the war with Boko Haram over. The military has chased the insurgents from hiding places in the forest. But the radical Islamist terrorist group is still waging deadly attacks across the countryside. And in some camps for displaced people, new arrivals fleeing the militants are moving in even as others are moving back home. Caught in the middle are people like Idi Hassan and his wife, who were in the convoy with six of their young children in his truck bed. The Hassans had been living for two years in the squalid camp in Maiduguri, relying on food handouts and eager to get back to their farm north of here, where they hoped to make a living. “The area has been liberated, and we’re going home,” Mr. Hassan said, sitting behind the wheel as his wife their infant in the passenger’s seat. Yet insurgents still roam the northeast and frequently crisscross roads like the one that was taking Mr. Hassan and his family home. Just weeks ago, Boko Haram ambushed soldiers along this very highway, killing seven of them. The narrow road is also the same one that Boko Haram used in January to ferry nine suicide bombers who set upon the same camp in Maiduguri that the Hassan family was leaving. Besides the bombers, two other people were killed in the attack, described by the authorities as the most coordinated of recent bombings. Much of the world associates the militants with the kidnapping in April 2014 of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, a small village in northeastern Nigeria. Many of them are still missing. “Most people simplify this crisis into one hashtag: Bring Back Our Girls,” said Sean Hoy, Ireland’s ambassador to Nigeria, who was in Maiduguri recently with other diplomats to assess the humanitarian crisis. But the aftermath of the ravaging by Boko Haram is far more complicated. Since the violence started here in 2009, nearly two million people in northeastern Nigeria have fled their homes in fear of Boko Haram, which has carried out a murderous spree against civilians and members of the military. Many people fled rural areas to Maiduguri, which has doubled in size as displaced Nigerians have crowded into relatives’ homes or settled into crumbling buildings, bus stations, schoolyards and the thousands of ramshackle thatched huts that dot the edges of the city. The Borno State government announced plans to close the camps in Maiduguri by the end of May, but said it would keep evaluating the situation. Now, one million uprooted people are making their way back home, according to the United Nations. Outside the city, military commanders say, all but small pockets of the countryside are now safe. “Ferocious attacks are a thing of the past,” said Maj. Gen. Leo Irabor, the Nigerian Army commander leading the operation against the militants. “We are only picking up the pieces. ” In late December, the military began reopening main highways that had been closed for years because of security worries. The state government has started rebuilding burned villages. The military push has allowed aid workers to fan out into new parts of the countryside to help people ravaged by famine or faminelike conditions. The United Nations has increased its efforts as well, working alongside the military and asking for $1 billion to help those affected by Boko Haram. Yet the security situation is far from stable. Maiduguri, where soldiers chased out the militants years ago, has been a frequent target, set upon even by girl bombers, one as young as 7. One bomber in a recent attack had a baby strapped to her back. With the military on their trail, many Boko Haram fighters appear to have scattered throughout Borno State and its beige landscape dotted by tiny farming communities. The Nigerian Army orders residents to clear out as it hunts the militants, and unarmed civilians are sometimes killed in the battles. Mr. Modu said soldiers had arrived in his village and given a deadline for residents to move to a nearby town. The next day, insurgents ordered them to evacuate immediately. Residents then moved into a camp. In a relief convoy driving on one of the reopened roads ran over an improvised bomb, setting fire to a food truck, burning all its contents and injuring a driver and his assistants. In another area deemed safe by the military, insurgents gunned down 16 people gathering wood not far from their homes. When aid groups make some supply runs in helicopters across the safe areas, the pilots fly high enough to be out of missile range. Humanitarian groups say the military refuses to allow food supplies to build up in camps teeming with hungry people for fear that the militants will steal it. Soldiers have shut down phone networks and banned fuel sales in some areas where residents are trying to restore their lives. Diverging streams of displaced people moving in and out of the camps are making it hard for humanitarian groups to provide assistance. Those in the camps need food, and people going home need help reviving their farms. Both relief and development aid are needed. Some residents take risks. Muhammadu Sani was sewing a fishing net at a camp in the countryside on a recent day. Eager to feed his seven children, he would head regularly to a fishing spot an hour away. But transporting fish is banned, in an attempt to starve the insurgents. So Mr. Sani stuffs his catch down his pants to smuggle it home. In some areas, waves of displaced Nigerians have begun crashing into one another. In a rural community called Monguno, hundreds of people from newly liberated areas have crammed into homes abandoned when Boko Haram first invaded. Now, the original homeowners are finding that people as desperate as they had been are living inside. Bulama Abatcha and Modu Bintumi had to ask for help from a community official to work out an arrangement in which Mr. Abatcha could remain in the other man’s home rent free. Mr. Abatcha would take care of it until Mr. Bintumi was ready to leave a camp in Maiduguri, where he had fled two years ago. “If the owner comes any time soon,” Mr. Abatcha said, “I’ll definitely find another place and move. ” In other areas, the state government has forged ahead with reconstruction, building concrete housing in villages that Boko Haram had reduced to ashes. But in places such as Benisheik, a community about an hour’s drive from Maiduguri that was leveled by the militants, spacious new concrete homes are vacant. They are adjacent to huts made of wood frames and ragged sheets, where returning residents are camped out until they are allowed to move into the concrete structures. Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno State said that to cut down on ownership fights, officials wanted to make sure that all the units were completed before allowing anyone in. Women will have first pick of the homes, he said, because they have been affected the most by a war in which their sons and husbands were routinely killed. Each will receive an irrigation kit, 25 chickens and two goats to help stimulate the local economy. “We recognize that human population is the number one defense against insurgents, and we know that communities can remain isolated for years and give strength to insurgents,” Mr. Shettima said. “But we will never compromise safety. ” In one of the new concrete structures, complete with drop ceilings, Halima Hajiya Ibrahim, an older woman, danced and raised her hands, ecstatically showing visitors what she said was her new home. No one had told her that it had yet to be officially assigned she was a squatter and was bound to be removed. Other residents who had returned to Benisheik said they were eager to move out of shelters that flood during the rainy season and offer no protection from the night chill. But many said they were still uneasy. Days earlier, a group of insurgents on motorbikes had crossed the road just outside town. | 1 |
Posted on October 28, 2016 by Mac Slavo
This election remains more heated than any other in modern history – and for many, it has become a call to arms, even if only metaphorically.
Despite the fact that DNC operatives have been exposed as the ones inciting violence at rallies – Robert Creamer and Scott Foval for example – and working overtime to bus in illegal voters and rig the vote – the media is going out of its way to paint Trump supporters and grassroots Americans as the ones plotting violence.
Most recently, they are latching onto comments made by former congressman Joe Walsh, now a conservative radio host, who suggested he would ‘pick up a musket’ if Trump loses the election. On November 8th, I'm voting for Trump.
On November 9th, if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket.
You in?
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016
Did Walsh mean to imply violence? That is certainly how the media is portraying it, as his comments spark controversy and fuel fire to the debate over the nearing election.
The irony that his commentary drew from the imagery of founding-era patriots who stood up to tyranny was deeply lost on the left, who see opponents to Hillary in black and white terms – racist, xenophobic, utterly deplorable and inherently violent.
CNN followed up, asking Walsh what he meant by statement.
via CNN :
Former Rep. Joe Walsh appeared to call for armed revolution Wednesday if Donald Trump is not elected president.
[…]
Walsh … did respond to CNN’s Jake Tapper via Twitter when he asked: “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means protesting. Participating in acts of civil disobedience. Doing what it takes to get our country back,” he responded to Tapper. @jaketapper It means protesting. Participating in acts of civil disobedience. Doing what it takes to get our country back.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016
After a firestorm on social media, Walsh doubled down, stating on Twitter: I'm serious. I don't think a musket would do much good these days, but it's time for civil disobedience on the right. https://t.co/ThJPEbALWZ
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016
His heated rhetoric is a response to the endless episodes of fraud , dirty tricks and foul play by the Hillary campaign, as it seems that she will stop at nothing to become the first female POTUS – just the sort of abuse of power that the founders warned about.
1775-76 erupted in response to a long train of abuses – acts of oppression and hostility listed in the Declaration of Independence that is being largely repeated in modern day America.
Could Hillary’s reported election victory – or Donald Trump’s defeat – signal civil unrest and a new wave of resistance, particularly if the results are widely viewed as fraudulent or “rigged”? Trump, for one, has certainly been talking up the possibility of a stolen election.
The scenario is plausible enough that the Pentagon and Homeland Security have been carrying out secret drills in the lead up to the election to prepare for the possibility of a martial law response to violence or civil unrest.
As SHTF detailed in an exclusive report, a whistleblower has come forward on the ominous contingency plan to keep and/or restore order if the populace revolt against the establishment’s “selection” for president:
If there is any truth to it, the 2016 election could be a kick-off for total tyranny.
According to an unnamed source – who has provided accurate intel in the past – an unannounced military drill is scheduled to take place during a period leading up to the election and throughout the month after.
Date: October 30th – 30 days after the election Suspected Region: Northeast, specifically New York
1st Phase: NROL (No Rule of Law) – drill involving combat arms in metro areas (active and reserve). Source says active duty and reserve service members are being vaccinated as if they are being deployed in theatre.
2nd Phase: LROL (Limited Rule of Law) – Military/FEMA consolidating resources, controlling water supply, handing out to public as needed.
3rd Phase: AROL (Authoritarian Rule of Law) – Possible new acronym or term for “Martial Law”. Curfew, restricted movements, basically martial law scenario.
Source said exercise involves FEMA/DHS/Military
At this point, no one can say for certain what will happen in the aftermath of November 8, but it is clear that millions and millions of Americans are dissatisfied with the status quo, troubled about the economic realities perpetuated by the Fed and angry that Hillary may be put in the Oval Office rather than a jail cell, despite a trail of corruption with virtually no end.
How far will things go?
And will things ever be reset without a new American Revolution?
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After Samsung Electronics halted production of its smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, it posted a statement on its website telling owners of the phone to power it down immediately and contact the outlet they bought it from to obtain a refund or an exchange. But for people to see those words, they had to click a link at the top of Samsung’s home page with the label “Updated Consumer Guidance for the Galaxy Note 7. ” As of Tuesday afternoon, the instructions had not been posted to Samsung’s Facebook page or the company’s Twitter account. For some who work in crisis management, it was a baffling and overly passive way for the South Korean electronics giant to deal with a prominent problem that has worsened in the last month. “That ought to be more visible — this is pretty serious,” Andrew Gilman, the chief executive of the crisis communications firm CommCore Consulting Group, said of the warning on Samsung’s home page. The brand has “to show they care and are concerned” through consistent communication on their home page, Twitter, Facebook and other social channels, he said. On Tuesday afternoon, the pinned tweet on the Samsung Mobile US Twitter account, dated Sept. 15, was still telling consumers they could exchange the old Note 7 for a new version of the phone. On the company’s Facebook page, the most recent post was from Oct. 4, when it shared a photo of a YouTube star using its new virtual reality camera. That post was quickly filling up with comments about how production of the Galaxy Note 7 had been stopped. “This is a phone that can literally catch fire and burn your house down with you in it,” said Dean Crutchfield, an independent brand consultant in New York. “I don’t think that’s being highlighted enough. ” Samsung has repeatedly stumbled in the last month as it sought to address reports that its Galaxy Note 7 phone had been overheating and catching fire because of a manufacturing flaw. The company recalled 2. 5 million phones last month and was initially praised, until it was learned that it had acted without required coordination with the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the United States. Samsung also erred by telling Hong Kong consumers around that time that models there would be unaffected, only to reverse course a day later. The brand, which has been offering refunds or replacement Note 7 devices to consumers in the last few weeks, now faces the unpleasant task of pulling the newer smartphones as well. All of this has grown into an international crisis for Samsung, which is not accustomed to dealing with such public scrutiny. Samsung is South Korea’s most important company, accounting for about 17 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. As a result, government regulators there are not as quick to call it to task as regulators in other countries. In response to questions on its outreach efforts, a spokeswoman for Samsung pointed to the advisory on its website and a statement that it would stop exchanges and sales of the phone. Adding a layer of complexity is the fact that many consumers interact with the Samsung brand through carriers like Verizon and ATampT or retail outlets like Best Buy. “What these carriers are battling with is making sure their brand image is not sullied by this,” Mr. Crutchfield said. “They want total responsibility reflected on Samsung. ” ATampT, for example, sent a text to consumers on Sept. 20 notifying them that new Note 7 phones would be available on Sept. 21 for exchanges. The carrier said in an emailed statement on Tuesday that “another customer communication is in progress” based on the latest news. “Over all, as a company, they have an enormous amount of products and customer loyalty to those products, and they have to bank on that leverage and work on it in the near and distant future in order to continue that,” Andrew Frank, the founder and president of KARV Communications, who has worked on recalls involving companies like Continental Tire, said of Samsung. Thus far, communication out of Samsung has been overly “bureaucratic,” Mr. Crutchfield said. He said he would put the company’s executives in front of consumers, noting “people want to see people. ” The public’s frustration was starting to show. One consumer tweeted to Sprint this week, saying “Hey @sprint, what if I don’t trust @SamsungMobile devices anymore?” The carrier responded, “Greetings, you still can trust Apple, HTC, LG or Alcatel. ” | 1 |
Once again, Pope Francis appears to be criticizing President Donald Trump and his plans to build a wall on the country’s southern border. While not naming Trump directly, the pontiff called for building bridges and not walls, adding that it was not Christian to ask someone else to pay for it. [The statements b Pope Francis were made during his weekly general audience where he called for Christians to build bridges instead of raising walls and to overcome evil with good, The Guardian reported. In February 2016, various news outlets reported that Pope Francis had stated that Trump was not a Christian over his desire to build a border wall. At the time, Trump denounced the statements and their apparent effort to influence the election. According to the Daily Mail, the Pope’s spokesman then walked back the statements, claiming that it was not a personal attack but the Pope was simply referring to his beliefs about helping immigrants and building bridges instead of walls. At the time, the Pope’s spokesman said that the pontiff had spoken only based on what he had been told about Trump. Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. | 1 |
October Sky, Good Harbor Beach MA(image by Richard Turcotte) License DMCA Religion is what gives people hope in a world torn apart by religion - Jon Stewart Our Constitution granted each and every one of us the freedom to believe or not believe as we decide. That protection applies to all of us, and when one group has decreed by some spiritual osmosis that their version of the unverifiable and occasionally insane has been decreed as the new Law, then it is up to the rest of us to put that crazy back where it belongs: away from public influence. It's done enough damage as it is. Mankind offers a long history of reliance on others by religious believers with the former being no more intelligent or enlightened than the average man/woman on the street (often far less, if history--or current events--is our guide). Personal thought and introspection have accordingly been relinquished--then, and certainly now. Those presumably more enlightened individuals [bear with me] in turn define and explain their versions of truths, beliefs, and obligations--all in the context of a judging, to-be-feared-and-obeyed, person-like Entity. No small measure of self-interest factors in to their assessments. Keeping ardent followers sufficiently agitated about some loving Deity's wrath [an oxymoron on a grand scale!] allows those professing a direct phone line to the One and Only all the time and opportunity they need to preserve their political and economic advantages without so much as a peep from those loyal supplicants. Hell of a racket.... The current crop of Its spokespeople earn kudos for the ways in which they have fashioned very creative takes on what they claim to be The One and Only Word. Perhaps it's time that we all recognize and simply accept [assuming we accept any kind of theology to begin with] that one religious conviction is in fact no more rational--or irrational--than another. With so many contradictory beliefs, either there is some other unifying and overarching principle, or we will continue to sabotage ourselves and the future of generations to follow by fighting to assert we're right and everyone else is wrong. We own that choice. By its very nature the Source of our Universe is unfathomable. We simply do not have the means or capabilities to define with certainty that great mystery--try as we do. So instead, a great many among us have fashioned a notion that some human-like-but-slightly-better-and-bigger-person-like God/Allah/Whatever created all. Furthermore--apparently--only some know just what It wants from us. That is so convenient, isn't it! - Advertisement - That also frees up some thinking time on the part of those same loyal followers. Why think if someone else is willing to do all of that hard work for us, Right? Aside from that perk, this ceding of rational contemplation is a problem. Always has been. It will continue to be. For all of us, that must change. Acquiescence--or silence--each carry consequences. Were they limited to those followers disinclined to ponder their marching orders, we would certainly have at least one less set of concerns on our plates. If only.... Any honest reading of American history does not suggest a Christian nation that has had secularism forced on it in recent years by liberal forces, but the opposite. Ours is a country that has always been basically secular but has always had to contend with a loud-mouthed minority of theocrats who periodically succeed at using government to push religion until the forces of secularism beat them back again. It's obvious why conservative Christians would like to believe otherwise. Believing they're an oppressed group being denied their birthright is a lot more fun than accepting that they are an oppressive group trying to steal basic freedoms from everyone else. Ignorance, narrow-mindedness, self-serving behaviors, paranoia, fears, and the full range of irrational, fact-challenged nonsense do not manifest themselves inside a protective bubble. The more we collectively permit the subtle infiltration of curiously hypocritical mandates into policy-making, the more certain we can be that outcomes will benefit only very few. Basic math skills tell us that when only a few "win," most lose. That's not a good place for us to be. - Advertisement - Adapted from a blog post of mine View Ratings | Rate It http://richardturcotte.com/
Looking Left and Right: Inspiring Different Ideas, Envisioning Better Tomorrows Rich Turcotte is a retired attorney, former financial advisor, and now a writer. The mission: informing others about the significance and impact of Peak ( more... ) | 0 |
Hillary at the Laugh Factory, Part 7: Loser Users browsing this forum: Majestic-12 [Bot] , MSNbot Media and 29 guests Display posts from previous: Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow. They come to be accepted by degrees, by precedent, by implication, by erosion, by default, by dint of constant pressure on one side and constant retreat on the other - until the day when they are suddenly declared to be the country's official ideology. ~ Ayn Rand
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In Hillary's America, email server scrubs you
Obama transfers his Nobel Peace Prize to anti-Trump rioters
Democrats blame Hillary's criminal e-mail server for her loss, demand it face prison
Afraid of "dangerous" Trump presidency, protesters pre-emptively burn America down to the ground
Clinton Foundation in foreclosure as foreign donors demand refunds
Hillary Clinton blames YouTube video for unexpected and spontaneous voter uprising that prevented her inevitable move into the White House
Sudden rise in sea levels explained by disproportionately large tears shed by climate scientists in the aftermath of Trump's electoral victory
FBI director Comey delighted after receiving Nobel Prize for Speed Reading (650,000 emails in one week)
U.N. deploys troops to American college campuses in order to combat staggeringly low rape rates
Responding to Trump's surging poll numbers, Obama preemptively pardons himself for treason
Following hurricane Matthew's failure to devastate Florida, activists flock to the Sunshine State and destroy Trump signs manually
Tim Kaine takes credit for interrupting hurricane Matthew while debating weather in Florida
Study: Many non-voters still undecided on how they're not going to vote
The Evolution of Dissent: on November 8th the nation is to decide whether dissent will stop being racist and become sexist - or it will once again be patriotic as it was for 8 years under George W. Bush
Venezuela solves starvation problem by making it mandatory to buy food
Breaking: the Clinton Foundation set to investigate the FBI
Obama captures rare Pokémon while visiting Hiroshima
Movie news: 'The Big Friendly Giant Government' flops at box office; audiences say "It's creepy"
Barack Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Micah Johnson"
White House edits Orlando 911 transcript to say shooter pledged allegiance to NRA and Republican Party
President George Washington: 'Redcoats do not represent British Empire; King George promotes a distorted version of British colonialism'
Following Obama's 'Okie-Doke' speech , stock of Okie-Doke soars; NASDAQ: 'Obama best Okie-Doke salesman'
Weaponized baby formula threatens Planned Parenthood office; ACLU demands federal investigation of Gerber
Experts: melting Antarctic glacier could cause sale levels to rise up to 80% off select items by this weekend
Travel advisory: airlines now offering flights to front of TSA line
As Obama instructs his administration to get ready for presidential transition, Trump preemptively purchases 'T' keys for White House keyboards
John Kasich self-identifies as GOP primary winner, demands access to White House bathroom
Upcoming Trump/Kelly interview on FoxNews sponsored by 'Let's Make a Deal' and 'The Price is Right'
News from 2017: once the evacuation of Lena Dunham and 90% of other Hollywood celebrities to Canada is confirmed, Trump resigns from presidency: "My work here is done"
Non-presidential candidate Paul Ryan pledges not to run for president in new non-presidential non-ad campaign
Trump suggests creating 'Muslim database'; Obama symbolically protests by shredding White House guest logs beginning 2009
National Enquirer: John Kasich's real dad was the milkman, not mailman
National Enquirer: Bound delegates from Colorado, Wyoming found in Ted Cruz’s basement
Iran breaks its pinky-swear promise not to support terrorism; US State Department vows rock-paper-scissors strategic response
Women across the country cheer as racist Democrat president on $20 bill is replaced by black pro-gun Republican
Federal Reserve solves budget crisis by writing itself a 20-trillion-dollar check
Widows, orphans claim responsibility for Brussels airport bombing
Che Guevara's son hopes Cuba's communism will rub off on US, proposes a long list of people the government should execute first
Susan Sarandon: "I don't vote with my vagina." Voters in line behind her still suspicious, use hand sanitizer
Campaign memo typo causes Hillary to court 'New Black Panties' vote
New Hampshire votes for socialist Sanders, changes state motto to "Live FOR Free or Die"
Martin O'Malley drops out of race after Iowa Caucus; nation shocked with revelation he has been running for president
Statisticians: one out of three Bernie Sanders supporters is just as dumb as the other two
Hillary campaign denies accusations of smoking-gun evidence in her emails, claims they contain only smoking-circumstantial-gun evidence
Obama stops short of firing US Congress upon realizing the difficulty of assembling another group of such tractable yes-men
In effort to contol wild passions for violent jihad, White House urges gun owners to keep their firearms covered in gun burkas
TV horror live: A Charlie Brown Christmas gets shot up on air by Mohammed cartoons
Democrats vow to burn the country down over Ted Cruz statement, 'The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats'
Russia's trend to sign bombs dropped on ISIS with "This is for Paris" found response in Obama administration's trend to sign American bombs with "Return to sender"
University researchers of cultural appropriation quit upon discovery that their research is appropriation from a culture that created universities
Archeologists discover remains of what Barack Obama has described as unprecedented, un-American, and not-who-we-are immigration screening process in Ellis Island
Mizzou protests lead to declaring entire state a "safe space," changing Missouri motto to "The don't show me state"
Green energy fact: if we put all green energy subsidies together in one-dollar bills and burn them, we could generate more electricity than has been produced by subsidized green energy
State officials improve chances of healthcare payouts by replacing ObamaCare with state lottery
NASA's new mission to search for racism, sexism, and economic inequality in deep space suffers from race, gender, and class power struggles over multibillion-dollar budget
College progress enforcement squads issue schematic humor charts so students know if a joke may be spontaneously laughed at or if regulations require other action
ISIS opens suicide hotline for US teens depressed by climate change and other progressive doomsday scenarios
Virginia county to close schools after teacher asks students to write 'death to America' in Arabic
'Wear hijab to school day' ends with spontaneous female circumcision and stoning of a classmate during lunch break
ISIS releases new, even more barbaric video in an effort to regain mantle from Planned Parenthood
Impressed by Fox News stellar rating during GOP debates, CNN to use same formula on Democrat candidates asking tough, pointed questions about Republicans
Shocking new book explores pros and cons of socialism, discovers they are same people
Pope outraged by Planned Parenthood's "unfettered capitalism," demands equal redistribution of baby parts to each according to his need
John Kerry accepts Iran's "Golden Taquiyya" award, requests jalapenos on the side
Citizens of Pluto protest US government's surveillance of their planetoid and its moons with New Horizons space drone
John Kerry proposes 3-day waiting period for all terrorist nations trying to acquire nuclear weapons
Chicago Police trying to identify flag that caused nine murders and 53 injuries in the city this past weekend
Cuba opens to affordable medical tourism for Americans who can't afford Obamacare deductibles
State-funded research proves existence of Quantum Aggression Particles (Heterons) in Large Hadron Collider
Student job opportunities: make big bucks this summer as Hillary’s Ordinary-American; all expenses paid, travel, free acting lessons
Experts debate whether Iranian negotiators broke John Kerry's leg or he did it himself to get out of negotiations
Junior Varsity takes Ramadi, advances to quarterfinals
US media to GOP pool of candidates: 'Knowing what we know now, would you have had anything to do with the founding of the United States?'
NY Mayor to hold peace talks with rats, apologize for previous Mayor's cowboy diplomacy
China launches cube-shaped space object with a message to aliens: "The inhabitants of Earth will steal your intellectual property, copy it, manufacture it in sweatshops with slave labor, and sell it back to you at ridiculously low prices"
Progressive scientists: Truth is a variable deduced by subtracting 'what is' from 'what ought to be'
Experts agree: Hillary Clinton best candidate to lessen percentage of Americans in top 1%
America's attempts at peace talks with the White House continue to be met with lies, stalling tactics, and bad faith
Starbucks new policy to talk race with customers prompts new hashtag #DontHoldUpTheLine
Hillary: DELETE is the new RESET
Charlie Hebdo receives Islamophobe 2015 award ; the cartoonists could not be reached for comment due to their inexplicable, illogical deaths
Russia sends 'reset' button back to Hillary: 'You need it now more than we do'
Barack Obama finds out from CNN that Hillary Clinton spent four years being his Secretary of State
President Obama honors Leonard Nimoy by taking selfie in front of Starship Enterprise
Police: If Obama had a convenience store, it would look like Obama Express Food Market
Study finds stunning lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity among middle-class white males
NASA: We're 80% sure about being 20% sure about being 17% sure about being 38% sure about 2014 being the hottest year on record
People holding '$15 an Hour Now' posters sue Democratic party demanding raise to $15 an hour for rendered professional protesting services
Cuba-US normalization: US tourists flock to see Cuba before it looks like the US and Cubans flock to see the US before it looks like Cuba
White House describes attacks on Sony Pictures as 'spontaneous hacking in response to offensive video mocking Juche and its prophet'
CIA responds to Democrat calls for transparency by releasing the director's cut of The Making Of Obama's Birth Certificate
Obama: 'If I had a city, it would look like Ferguson'
Biden: 'If I had a Ferguson (hic), it would look like a city'
Obama signs executive order renaming 'looters' to 'undocumented shoppers'
Ethicists agree: two wrongs do make a right so long as Bush did it first
The aftermath of the 'War on Women 2014' finds a new 'Lost Generation' of disillusioned Democrat politicians, unable to cope with life out of office
White House: Republican takeover of the Senate is a clear mandate from the American people for President Obama to rule by executive orders
Nurse Kaci Hickox angrily tells reporters that she won't change her clocks for daylight savings time
Democratic Party leaders in panic after recent poll shows most Democratic voters think 'midterm' is when to end pregnancy
Desperate Democratic candidates plead with Obama to stop backing them and instead support their GOP opponents
Ebola Czar issues five-year plan with mandatory quotas of Ebola infections per each state based on voting preferences
Study: crony capitalism is to the free market what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity
Fun facts about world languages: the Left has more words for statism than the Eskimos have for snow
African countries to ban all flights from the United States because "Obama is incompetent, it scares us"
Nobel Peace Prize controversy: Hillary not nominated despite having done even less than Obama to deserve it
Obama: 'Ebola is the JV of viruses'
BREAKING: Secret Service foils Secret Service plot to protect Obama
Revised 1st Amendment: buy one speech, get the second free
Sharpton calls on white NFL players to beat their women in the interests of racial fairness
President Obama appoints his weekly approval poll as new national security adviser
Obama wags pen and phone at Putin; Europe offers support with powerful pens and phones from NATO members
White House pledges to embarrass ISIS back to the Stone Age with a barrage of fearsome Twitter messages and fatally ironic Instagram photos
Obama to fight ISIS with new federal Terrorist Regulatory Agency
Obama vows ISIS will never raise their flag over the eighteenth hole
Harry Reid: "Sometimes I say the wong thing"
Elian Gonzalez wishes he had come to the U.S. on a bus from Central America like all the other kids
Obama visits US-Mexican border, calls for a two-state solution
Obama draws "blue line" in Iraq after Putin took away his red crayon
"Hard Choices," a porno flick loosely based on Hillary Clinton's memoir and starring Hillary Hellfire as a drinking, whoring Secretary of State, wildly outsells the flabby, sagging original
Accusations of siding with the enemy leave Sgt. Bergdahl with only two options: pursue a doctorate at Berkley or become a Senator from Massachusetts
Jay Carney stuck in line behind Eric Shinseki to leave the White House; estimated wait time from 15 min to 6 weeks
100% of scientists agree that if man-made global warming were real, "the last people we'd want to help us is the Obama administration"
Jay Carney says he found out that Obama found out that he found out that Obama found out that he found out about the latest Obama administration scandal on the news
"Anarchy Now!" meeting turns into riot over points of order, bylaws, and whether or not 'kicking the #^@&*! ass' of the person trying to speak is or is not violence
Obama retaliates against Putin by prohibiting unionized federal employees from dating hot Russian girls online during work hours
Russian separatists in Ukraine riot over an offensive YouTube video showing the toppling of Lenin statues
"Free Speech Zones" confuse Obamaphone owners who roam streets in search of additional air minutes
Obamacare bolsters employment for professionals with skills to convert meth back into sudafed
Gloves finally off: Obama uses pen and phone to cancel Putin's Netflix account
Joe Biden to Russia: "We will bury you by turning more of Eastern Europe over to your control!"
In last-ditch effort to help Ukraine, Obama deploys Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to Crimea
Al Sharpton: "Not even Putin can withstand our signature chanting, 'racist, sexist, anti-gay, Russian army go away'!"
Mardi Gras in North Korea: " Throw me some food! "
Obama's foreign policy works: "War, invasion, and conquest are signs of weakness; we've got Putin right where we want him"
US offers military solution to Ukraine crisis: "We will only fight countries that have LGBT military"
Putin annexes Brighton Beach to protect ethnic Russians in Brooklyn, Obama appeals to UN and EU for help
The 1980s: "Mr. Obama, we're just calling to ask if you want our foreign policy back . The 1970s are right here with us, and they're wondering, too."
In a stunning act of defiance, Obama courageously unfriends Putin on Facebook
MSNBC: Obama secures alliance with Austro-Hungarian Empire against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine
Study: springbreak is to STDs what April 15th is to accountants
Efforts to achieve moisture justice for California thwarted by unfair redistribution of snow in America
North Korean voters unanimous: "We are the 100%"
Leader of authoritarian gulag-site, The People's Cube, unanimously 're-elected' with 100% voter turnout
Super Bowl: Obama blames Fox News for Broncos' loss
Feminist author slams gay marriage: "a man needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"
Beverly Hills campaign heats up between Henry Waxman and Marianne Williamson over the widening income gap between millionaires and billionaires in their district
Biden to lower $10,000-a-plate Dinner For The Homeless to $5,000 so more homeless can attend
Kim becomes world leader, feeds uncle to dogs; Obama eats dogs, becomes world leader, America cries uncle
North Korean leader executes own uncle for talking about Obamacare at family Christmas party
White House hires part-time schizophrenic Mandela sign interpreter to help sell Obamacare
Kim Jong Un executes own " crazy uncle " to keep him from ruining another family Christmas
OFA admits its advice for area activists to give Obamacare Talk at shooting ranges was a bad idea
President resolves Obamacare debacle with executive order declaring all Americans equally healthy
Obama to Iran: "If you like your nuclear program, you can keep your nuclear program"
Bovine community outraged by flatulence coming from Washington DC
Obama: "I'm not particularly ideological; I believe in a good pragmatic five-year plan"
Shocker: Obama had no knowledge he'd been reelected until he read about it in the local newspaper last week
Server problems at HealthCare.gov so bad, it now flashes 'Error 808' message
NSA marks National Best Friend Day with official announcement: "Government is your best friend; we know you like no one else, we're always there, we're always willing to listen"
Al Qaeda cancels attack on USA citing launch of Obamacare as devastating enough
The President's latest talking point on Obamacare: "I didn't build that"
Dizzy with success, Obama renames his wildly popular healthcare mandate to HillaryCare
Carney: huge ObamaCare deductibles won't look as bad come hyperinflation
Washington Redskins drop 'Washington' from their name as offensive to most Americans
Poll: 83% of Americans favor cowboy diplomacy over rodeo clown diplomacy
GOVERNMENT WARNING: If you were able to complete ObamaCare form online, it wasn't a legitimate gov't website; you should report online fraud and change all your passwords
Obama administration gets serious, threatens Syria with ObamaCare
Obama authorizes the use of Vice President Joe Biden's double-barrel shotgun to fire a couple of blasts at Syria
Sharpton: "British royals should have named baby 'Trayvon.' By choosing 'George' they sided with white Hispanic racist Zimmerman"
DNC launches 'Carlos Danger' action figure; proceeds to fund a charity helping survivors of the Republican War on Women
Nancy Pelosi extends abortion rights to the birds and the bees
Hubble discovers planetary drift to the left
Obama: 'If I had a daughter-in-law, she would look like Rachael Jeantel'
FISA court rubberstamps statement denying its portrayal as government's rubber stamp
Every time ObamaCare gets delayed, a Julia somewhere dies
GOP to Schumer: 'Force full implementation of ObamaCare before 2014 or Dems will never win another election'
Obama: 'If I had a son... no, wait, my daughter can now marry a woman!'
Janet Napolitano: TSA findings reveal that since none of the hijackers were babies, elderly, or Tea Partiers, 9/11 was not an act of terrorism
News Flash: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) can see Canada from South Dakota
Susan Rice: IRS actions against tea parties caused by anti-tax YouTube video that was insulting to their faith
Drudge Report reduces font to fit all White House scandals onto one page
Obama: the IRS is a constitutional right, just like the Second Amendment
White House: top Obama officials using secret email accounts a result of bad IT advice to avoid spam mail from Nigeria
Jay Carney to critics: 'Pinocchio never said anything inconsistent'
Obama: If I had a gay son, he'd look like Jason Collins
Gosnell's office in Benghazi raided by the IRS: mainstream media's worst cover-up challenge to date
IRS targeting pro-gay-marriage LGBT groups leads to gayest tax revolt in U.S. history
After Arlington Cemetery rejects offer to bury Boston bomber, Westboro Babtist Church steps up with premium front lawn plot
Boston: Obama Administration to reclassify marathon bombing as 'sportsplace violence'
Study: Success has many fathers but failure becomes a government program
US Media: Can Pope Francis possibly clear up Vatican bureaucracy and banking without blaming the previous administration?
Michelle Obama praises weekend rampage by Chicago teens as good way to burn calories and stay healthy
This Passover, Obama urges his subjects to paint lamb's blood above doors in order to avoid the Sequester
White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras
Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world's sexiest corpse
Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school
Study: Free lunches overpriced, lack nutrition
Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State
Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: 'rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good'
Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as 'undocumented sex partners'
Kremlin puts out warning not to photoshop Putin riding meteor unless bare-chested
Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead
Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending
Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances
Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg's ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons
Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago
Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new 'Republicans For Democrats' strategy aimed at losing elections
Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country
Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to 'Traps'
White House releases new exciting photos of Obama standing, sitting, looking thoughtful, and even breathing in and out
New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman's economic policies stolen
White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class
To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead
State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations
Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they're just running forward
President issues executive orders banning cliffs, ceilings, obstructions, statistics, and other notions that prevent us from moving forwards and upward
Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects
World ends; S&P soars
Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood
Meek inherit Earth, can't afford estate taxes
Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway
Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013
Bigfoot found in Ohio, mysteriously not voting for Obama
As Santa's workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of 'naughty and nice' list
Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves
Obama: green economy likely to transform America into a leading third world country of the new millennium
Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future
Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs
Modernizing Islam: New York imam proposes to canonize Saul Alinsky as religion's latter day prophet
Imam Rauf's peaceful solution: 'Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt'
Study: Obama's threat to burn tax money in Washington 'recruitment bonanza' for Tea Parties
Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov't raises retirement age to at least 814 years
Obama attends church service, worships self
Obama proposes national 'Win The Future' lottery; proceeds of new WTF Powerball to finance more gov't spending
Historical revisionists: "Hey, you never know"
Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh
Israelis to Egyptian rioters: "don't damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild"
Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness
Al Gore: It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of polar bears
Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke
Obama's teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights
Obama calls new taxes 'spending reductions in tax code.' Elsewhere rapists tout 'consent reductions in sexual intercourse'
Obama's teleprompter unhappy with White House Twitter: "Too few words"
Obama's Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov't
Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost
Responding to Oslo shootings, Obama declares Christianity "Religion of Peace," praises "moderate Christians," promises to send one into space
Republicans block Obama's $420 billion program to give American families free charms that ward off economic bad luck
White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus
Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed
Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book "The Road to Smurfdom"
Al Gore proposes to combat Global Warming by extracting silver linings from clouds in Earth's atmosphere
Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people's suffering: "When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?"
Obama regrets the US government didn't provide his mother with free contraceptives when she was in college
Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!
Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: 'Come again soon!'
Obama to tornado victims: 'We inherited this weather from the previous administration'
Obama congratulates Putin on Chicago-style election outcome
People's Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies
Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, "only 1% allowed to reach Israel"
Democrat strategist: without government supervision, women would have never evolved into humans
Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law
Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama's bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond
Obama blames previous Olympics for failure to win at this Olympics
Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof
Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels
Poll: Progressive slogan 'We should be more like Europe' most popular with members of American Nazi Party
Obama to Evangelicals: Jesus saves, I just spend
May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above
Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel "50 Shades of Hay"
Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name
Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich
Historians: Before HOPE & CHANGE there was HEMP & CHOOM at ten bucks a bag
Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its "President for Life"
Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: due to energy conservation, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off
Obama Administration running food stamps across the border with Mexico in an operation code-named "Fat And Furious"
Pakistan explodes in protest over new Adobe Acrobat update; 17 local acrobats killed
White House: "Let them eat statistics"
Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama | 0 |
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